Irish Lives Remembered Easter 2016.Pdf

www.irishlivesremembered.com

Issue 33 March 2016

Publisher Eneclann Genealogy Magazine Joint Editors Eileen Munnelly & Shane Fitzsimons Email: [email protected] Welcome to the Easter 2016 edition of Irish Lives Remembered , in Design/Production Manager this issue we commemorate the 1916 centenary. And here in Michael Munnelly Ireland on the 100th anniversary of the birth of our nation, it is a joy to see that interest in our past has never been so keen. It’s heart- Editorial Contributors warming to see such fascination across the generations as to how In Ireland our yesterdays continue to affect the present. Joe Duffy, Fiona Fitzsimons, Paul MacCotter, Brian Donovan, Helen Moss, But you probably all know this already, or else you wouldn’t be Shane Fitzsimons and Michael Merrigan reading Ireland’s top genealogy magazine.

In the U.K. Before we tell you just what’s in this issue, we’d also like to tell you Jayne Shrimpton that Irish Lives Remembered has changed publisher. Eileen Munnelly and her team at Millennium Media are handing their In America creation over to a new team at Eneclann – a name that some of you Maureen Wlodarczyk & Damien Shields may know. We’d like to salute Eileen for creating such a winning In New Zealand title, for trusting us to continue to publish it, and we wish her all Geraldene O’Reilly the best in the future.

Advertising Right, so what’s in this issue? There’s quite a bit on 1916. In a must- Tommy Martin read Fiona Fitzsimons talks to broadcaster and historian Joe Duffy, [email protected] whose recent book explores the short lives and violent deaths of the children of 1916. And in his own column, Joe himself explains Write to: how he found the motivation to write what has become Ireland’s Eneclann best-selling work of history on 1916 this year! 5 Whitefriars Aungier Street Helen Moss, Eneclann genealogist, recently researched Brendan Dublin 2, Ireland O'Carroll's Family at War in 1916, for the BBC. We reveal how three tel: + 353 1 671 0338 of Brendan's uncles were out in Easter 1916. And, Brian Donovan fax: + 353 1 671 0281 explains how to trace what your ancestors were up to during Easter Week. email: [email protected] In a new series, Dr Paul MacCotter begins tracing the great www.irishlivesremembered.com surnames of Ireland and revealing where they sprang from, he Irish Lives Remembered begins with O’Sullivan.

Geraldene O’Reilly researches the Irish in New Zealand and learns @irishlives how gold fever of the 1800s led to the creation of great fortunes for Irish Lives Remembered Genealogy Magazine is some of them at least. published quarterly by Eneclann Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a From the USA, Maureen Wlodarczyk looks at how to uncover your retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the Irish ancestors in the Green Mountain State of Vermont – and publisher. Damian Shields uncovers some tales of the Vermont Irish in the US Civil War. Opinions and comments expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. All prices and We hope you will find tales and examples to inspire you as you rates are correct at time of going to press but are subject to change. While every effort has been research your own family history. We also hope to share with you made to ensure that all information contained in tips that will speed your search. this publication is factual and correct at time of going to press. Eneclann Limited cannot be held And at the end of the day, that’s what this magazine is about – responsible for any inadvertent errors or omissions contained herein. Copyright @2016 Eneclann Ltd., family. So if you enjoy it, please share it with a friend or a relative. All rights reserved.

By Abigail Rieley

The most eagerly awaited launch in dec- Up until last year that meant in most cases ades for Irish genealogy - the indexed a trip to Ireland to look at the original reg- form of the Irish Catholic Parish records - isters, held on micro lm in the National Li- arrived on Findmypast this month. brary in Dublin. Then last year the Nation- al Library put the digitised records online For anyone tracing their Irish roots (and – an absolutely huge step, as now any- don’t forget 40 million people worldwide one, anywhere in the world could search claim Irish heritage), this is akin to sever- them, painstakingly, page by page. al Christmases and birthdays coming to- But now all you need is a name. All you gether. Births, marriages and deaths are need to do is go online to Findmypast and the roots of any family tree - and it is only type your name into the search screen for through parish records that you can go births, marriages or deaths and a rough back beyond the mid 19th century. date and you can  nd a record in sec- onds. The civil registration of all births, marriages You will still need to check each result to and deaths was only brought in in Ireland see if it’s the right one and there’s still the in 1864. In the absence of 19th century chance that the record you’re looking for records (which of course were largely de- simply didn’t survive - but instead of tak- stroyed in the Four Courts blaze of 1922), ing hours, even days to  nd this out, now the parish records are your best source all you need are a couple of minutes, with for going back before civil registration. a cup of tea, in the comfort of your own home. Between 1537 and 1870 the Church of There are a total of 10,638,310 records in Ireland was the of cial church in Ireland total and they cover 200 years of Irish his- and hostilities between the established tory across all 32 counties of Ireland. There church and the Roman Catholic church are records of baptisms, marriages and meant catholic record keeping was burials from all of the surviving parish reg- fraught with dif culties. Few records sur- isters as well as congregational records in- vive before the  rst half of the 18th Cen- cluding con rmations and parish lists. tury but record-keeping improved after Archbishop Paul Cullen called the Synod The records cover most of the 1086 par- of Thurles to standardise the teachings, ishes in Ireland with the earliest records administration and sacraments of the being baptisms from Waterford, Wexford, church. Tipperary and Galway. Due to rather in- formal burial practices in the 19-century The parish records have been online since there are few surviving burial registers be- last year but this new indexed version is fore 1900. truly revolutionary. Up until now the only way to  nd someone was to painstakingly go through each register page by page, peering at the spidery 19th-century handwriting and hoping you would  nd the name you were looking for. There are a few search tips that will help you get the most out of the records on Findmypast.

Firstly, always make sure you have the name variants box ticked on any name you search for, whether the main name, spouse or parents. Names might have been spelt in a variety or names and you want to make sure you pick up all possible results.

A further complication is that many re- you’re looking for try searching without cords were written in Latin. In order to  nd the pre x, as many dropped it. Latin versions of names you can use a wildcard search. By using an asterisk after Finally always remember to look at neigh- the  rst few letters of a name up will  nd bouring parishes and counties as people all names beginning with those letters. So often travelled across these local borders Pat* would  nd Patrick, Pat, Patricia but to marry or to  nd work. also Patricus, the Latin version of Patrick. The parish records are the most signi - cant addition to Irish genealogy in years. You can  nd all the children of a marriage If you’re looking for your Irish ancestors by searching for the names of the parents you’ll  nd yourself using them again and but not specifying the main name. again. Also if you are searching for a name with a pre x like O’ or Mc’ and can’t  nd what The parish records are the most signi cant addition to Irish genealogy in years

christ church UNITED PRESBYTERIAN & METHODIST Historic Parish Registers at Christ Church, Limerick, published online For the  rst time the historic parish regis- The project to digitise and publish the re- ters held by Christ Church Limerick are cords was initiated by John King, CEO of being made available online. They con- the Irish Ancestry Research Centre (IARC), tain the names of thousands of people working in partnership with Eneclann and who were members of the Presbyterian Findmypast. Eneclann digitally imaged all and Methodist congregations of Limer- the records at high resolution preservation ick city as well as Kilrush in County Clare standard. This work was done for free and and Killarney in County Kerry. Dating from donated to Christ Church so they could re- 1813 they document the lives of these tain ownership of their own records, both non-conformist communities, with details original and virtual. Findmypast transcribed of baptisms, marriages and church at- all the records and, with the images, pub- tendance. The lengthy and detailed Sub- lished them online for all researchers to use. scribers lists (Methodist) and Communi- cants Rolls (Presbyterian) give a snap shot It is hoped that more churches and de- of the community at several dates from nominations see this exercise as an exam- 1835 onwards and include details of emi- ple of how they can facilitate access to gration and occupation. The records are their historic records as well as undertaking a window into an important part of the the important task of creating high quality Munster community that tends to be over copies, working in partnership with IARC, looked because of their smaller numbers. Eneclann and Findmypast. To view the links visit: Please see below links into the re- While never numerically large, in the past cord search. there were many more “dissenters”, as they were known, than today. These were people who professed a different prot- Baptisms: http://search. ndmypast.ie/ estant Christian faith to the Established search-world-Records/ireland-non-con- church (Church of Ireland). In 1861 they formist-births-and-baptisms made up nearly 2% of the population of Marriages: http://search. ndmypast.ie/ Limerick city. Christ church was estab- search-world-Records/ireland-non-con- lished in 1813 to service the Methodists formist-marriages on Limerick city, and 40 years ago they Burials: http://search. ndmypast.ie/ united with the city’s Presbyterian congre- search-world-Records/ireland-non-con- gation. As a consequence Christ Church formist-burials houses the records of both denomina- Congregational: http://search. nd- tions. But they have also collected more, mypast.ie/search-world-Records/ire- including the Methodist mission in Kilrush, land-non-conformist-congregational-re- Co. Clare (1847 to 1901) and the Presby- cords terian congregation in Killarney, Co. Kerry (1879-1907). Aoife Morrissey and Emma Gilleece set up an IARC stand inside Christchurch, O’Connell Street, Limerick City. The Irish in Vermont by Shane Fitzsimons

Many people forget that wave of migration to North library to  nd what genea- before Vermont joined the America. In fact, in the years logical records they hold United States as the 14th from 1815 to 1845, between and what is available on- state, it had for 14 years ex- 800,000 to 1,000,000 Irish em- line. isted as the independent igrated to North America - Vermont Republic. There’s a about double the number The state archive is at www. love of freedom in the land, that had done so in the previ- sec.state.vt.us/archives-re- and a love of the land in the ous two hundred years. cords/state-archives/re- people. Without wishing to The Great Famine of the search-guides/genealo- enter too much into the mys- 1840s turned the immigration gy-and-family-history.aspx tic, could this be the subter- ‘trickle’ to Vermont into a and there you will  nd var- ranean reason why the Irish  ood. Many of the Irish arrived ious online databases in- have  ocked there? through Canada, as levies cluding the archival records were placed on routes into database (the primary cat- When recounting the history the USA. After quarantine on alogue of records in the of the Irish in America, East Grosse Isle, many would turn Vermont State Archives); Coast port towns such as south, cross Lake Champlain the Nye Index to the Man- Boston, New York and Bal- and enter the United States. uscript Vermont State Pa- timore come to mind. But pers (a name and subject Vermont was a destination When setting out to trace index to some of the earliest for the Irish for many centu- your ancestors in the Green records of Vermont gov- ries. Mountain State, it is a good ernment, 1777–1861); natu- idea to consult the websites ralisation records; Probate In the 1700s, many Irish came of the state archive and state Court records ; Civil and to America by way of the Brit- Criminal Court records; mil- ish Army,  ghting in the Sev- itary records plus informa- en Years War (or, as Ameri- tion about photographs in cans call it, the French and the State Archives, some of Indian War). And once fam- which can be researched ily members had established online. themselves in Vermont, letters home convinced many Vermont vital records are Irish to cross the Atlantic and also available through Fam- join them. ilySearch.org, a free database (1760-1908 with addi- Europe’s revolutionary wars tional records being added with France had led to an to increase the coverage agricultural boom in Ire- 1760-1954) and Ancestry. land, which had for 20 year com, a subscription data- a ready market in supplying base with Vermont records the British Army – but peace available free to Vermont- in 1815 led to widespread ers. recession and sparked a The Genealogical Society of Vermont www. genealogyvermont.org/ is a organisation publishing a quarterly journal, Vermont Ge- nealogy (with a query column for members), and books on associated topics. The organisation sponsors semi-annual meetings and occasional workshops.

Finally, author Vincent Feeney, long-time ad- junct professor of history at the University of Vermont, has written extensively on the story of the Irish in Vermont, from the  rst steady trickle of colonial pioneers to the  ood of famine refugees and onward.

His book, Finnigans, Slaters and Stonepeggers, lays out how the Irish arrived, survived, fought, worked, organised, and prospered. This is an excellent behind-the-scenes American success story that is recommended background reading for anyone researching the place of the Irish in Vermont. Felix W. McGettrick Soldier, Public Servant, & Vermont Irish-American

By Maureen Wlodarczyk

On this 100th anniversary of the 1916 East- religious and race prejudice and Ireland’s er Rising, we remember the heroes whose freedom will be a conceded fact . . . Let us courage and sacri ces gave birth to the  - go home tonight to add volume and curren- nal years of the struggle for an independent cy to the voice for emancipation of Ireland Ireland. At the same time we also remem- . . .” ber earlier generations of Irish that also rose up over the centuries of British occupation. So, who was Felix W. McGettrick? Born in Irish-Americans, although thousands of 1847 in Franklin County, Vermont, he was miles away, have long stood in solidarity the son of Irish immigrants Michael and Mary with their native cousins, offering whatever (nee O’Connell) McGettrick who arrived in they could in support of the cause. America some years before the exodus during the Great Famine. Michael became a In March 1887, one of those Irish-Ameri- naturalized U.S. citizen in 1845 and, accord- cans, Felix W. McGettrick, gave an impas- ing to the 1850 U.S. census, he was a farmer sioned speech to the Emerald Literary Club and owned real estate valued at $600. At at an opera hall in St. Albans, Vermont, as the time of that census, Michael and Mary the lead in to the presentation of a play McGettrick had eight children, all born in about the life of Robert Emmet. Emmet, Vermont and including three-year-old Felix. the young leader of the 1803 rising in Dub- When the census-taker returned in 1860, Mi- lin was, like the leaders of the Easter Rising, chael McGettrick’s continuing success as a captured and executed by British authori- farmer was re ected in his having reported ties. In his speech, McGettrick talked about that he owned real estate valued at $2,500 Emmet and about the cause for Irish free- and personal property worth $500. dom saying the following: Just two years later, the American Civil War “Through centuries of sad privation, unmer- erupted and, in January 1864, at the young ited suffering and savage oppression, each age of 16, Felix McGettrick enlisted in the succeeding generation in Ireland has been Union Army, joining the Vermont Volunteers, more generously supplied with men of geni- Sharp Shooter Regiment. His unit fought us, talent, and courage consecrating their in multiple battles in Virginia including the lives to her service and ready, should need bloody Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse be, to shed their hearts’ blood for liberty for where he was one of over 30,000 casual- their fellow man . . . Shake off for ourselves ties, sustaining a serious leg wound that re- and arouse others from the nightmare of mained a problem for the rest of his life. After the war ended Felix, who had had bar. He and his family relocated to Bos- little schooling, pursued an education at ton where he was later appointed Deputy the New Hampden Institute. He became a District Attorney and served under John B. teacher to support himself while he studied Moran before returning to private practice the law under the tutelage of respected at- after withdrawing from consideration to torneys and law  rms in Vermont. He began succeed Moran. In 1911, newspapers in practicing law in St. Albans Vermont in the Boston reported that McGettrick had been early 1870s and married a local Irish-Amer- hospitalized for surgery on his leg related ican girl, Elizabeth Morris. Tragedy struck to the wound he sustained at the Battle of Felix and Elizabeth in 1878 when their three Spotsylvania over four decades earlier. youngest children died over a period of just six months.

Felix McGettrick, interested in politics, became an active Vermont Democrat over the following years and served in various local public of ces as well as holding leadership positions in fraternal and Catholic or- ganizations. He was known as a gifted and eloquent orator (and debater), had a very prominent career in the law, and dabbled in politics as well. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress from Vermont in 1892 and for Governor of Vermont in 1902 but served at least twice as a delegate to the national Democratic convention. In 1905, McGettrick applied for and was granted admittance to the Massachusetts Felix McGettrick continued the practice of Before his involvement with the Irish Repub- law until just a few months prior to his death lican Army organization in America, Spear in 1919 at the age of 71. His obituary in the was a career military of cer in the United Boston Herald recounted the story of a States Army for over 30 years, beginning  rst-generation Irish-American: a teenage with his enlistment at the age of 18 and ser- soldier and battle casualty in America’s vice in the Seminole Wars. His many years bloodiest war who returned home at the of military service culminated in the Civil tender age of 17 determined to get an ed- War when, as a colonel, he led tactical bri- ucation and make his way in his parents’ gades and regiments  ghting in Virginia and adopted country . . . and did just that with was wounded at the Battle of Five Forks. His a life focused on family, faith, and public leadership and heroism led to President An- service. drew Johnson nominating him for the title of Brevet Brigadier General in 1866, his nomi- As it turned out, when researching this ar- nation thereafter con rmed by the U.S. Sen- ticle, I discovered another interesting Irish ate. Samuel Spear, born in Boston, died in connection to St. Albans, Vermont. Just a 1875 after a long illness. His obituary in the year after 17-year-old Civil War veteran Fe- Irish American Weekly reported that Spear, lix McGettrick returned home to Vermont, “covered with scars and full of honors,” had St. Albans was ground zero for a planned suffered greatly during the last years of his Fenian invasion of Canada. According to life yet “never wearied of talking of his life reports at the time, at least a half-dozen and services as a soldier.” railroad cars carried a few hundred Fenian raiders along with their arms and ammunition from Boston to St. Albans in prepa- ration for a guerrilla incursion aimed at lib- erating Canada from British rule. Led by Irish Republican Army “General” Samuel P. Spear, himself the  rst of his unit to cross the border from St. Albans onto Canadian soil, the Fenian regiment launched an unsuccessful two-day campaign against Cana- dian forces before retreating back into the United States. Two Irish-American men, each a Civil War soldier wounded in Virginia in the line of duty, each a supporter of independence for Ireland, and both with connections to St. Albans, Vermont. Small world.

Events taking place Louth County Archives Service throughout March & April 2016

March 01–31 Mon–Fri Exhibition: Óglaigh na hÉireann 1 913-1918 The Irish Volunteers and The Louth Volunteers 1914-1918 Adm. Free

April 01–29 Mon–Fri Louth County Archives Service, Exhibition: The Louth Volunteers 1914-1918 Adm. Free

Lorraine McCann, County Archivist Louth County Archives Service Old Gaol, Ardee Road Dundalk, Co Louth, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)42-9324358 Email: [email protected] Web: www.louthcoco.ie Web: www.louthnewryarchives.ie How one US civil war veteran’s legacy kept his Irish family fed

Men of a Union Army engineering battalion in the latter days of the US civil war

by Damian Shields — visit www.IrishAmericancivilwar.com Timothy Durick was born around the Each month for much of the 1880s year 1801. He married Mary Hogan in the octogenarian Timothy Durick 1827 and the couple went on to have  ve children together. The dangers of travelled from his home in Lacka- childbirth were ever present in this pe- more, Castletownarra, Co Tipper- riod, and Mary did not long survive the ary to the nearby town of Nenagh. birth of their  fth child- Timothy became He made the journey to visit the a widower at sometime during the early 1840s. The family were poor and there Post Of ce and collect his pension, were few prospects in Ireland for the which was worth $8. In order to se- children. Timothy and Mary’s son Jere- cure the pension the elderly man miah had been born around 1835, and had made a long journey across by the mid-1850s had decided that his the Atlantic; the service which future lay in the United States. earned it had been that of his son, As was so often the case with Irish em- igrants, when Jeremiah went to Ameri- Jeremiah, a soldier of the Irish Bri- ca he chose to join people whom he gade whose story came to an end already knew and who were originally on the bloodiest day in American from the Nenagh area. He settled in the history — Antietam town of West Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont, where he boarded with John Barrett, who had known him since he was of the entire casualties of the regiment. a boy and had attended his mother’s fu- neral. There Jeremiah worked in the marble Jeremiah Durick was one of the unfortu- quarries, making sure to send his father in nate members of Company C caught in Ireland money whenever he could. this exposed position. He was killed on the  eld, one of 35 men of the regiment who With the outbreak of the war, Jeremiah, lost their lives as a result of Antietam. An- who had found work sporadic in Vermont, other 67 were wounded as the 88th New decided to enlist in the army. The regi- York lost, according to Lieutenant-Colonel ment he chose was the 88th New York In- Patrick Kelly, ‘one-third of our men.’ fantry, one of the units of the Irish Brigade. In April 1867 Jeremiah’s father Timothy, He mustered in as a Private in Company C now 66-years-old, sought to secure a pen- on 28th September 1861, aged 26 years. A sion based on his son’s service. His previous steady wage seems to have been one of efforts in this regard had been unsuccess- Jeremiah’s key reasons for joining up, and ful, and so he made the journey across the his father back in Nenagh remained in his Atlantic to Vermont to press his claim. Old thoughts — at one point he sent $30 of his friends from Nenagh who lived in Vermont, pay to Ireland via his brother John. 40-year-old John Barrett (with whom Jere- miah had boarded) and 50-year-old John Jeremiah served with the Brigade through Gleason, gave evidence that Timothy had the Peninsula before marching onto the received upwards of $100 a year in  nan-  eld at Antietam on 17th September 1862. cial support from his son. Captain William O’Grady of the 88th later They also revealed that Timothy was very described that regiments part in the action: poor, had no property of any kind except his personal clothing and had no income or “We forded the creek, by General Meagh- means of support except what he earned er’s orders, taking off our shoes (those who by manual labour. Timothy was reported to could, many were barefoot, and some, be in poor health and was unable to earn like the writer, were so footsore that they a living due to physical disability. had not been able to take off their shoes, A Dr Backer Haynes in the town of Rut- or what remained of them, for a week), to land also provided a statement to say he wring out their socks, so as not to incumber had examined Timothy, and found that he the men in active movements, and every suffered from long-standing hypertrophy of man was required to  ll his canteen… the heart which had caused rheumatism “The bullets were whistling over us as we in the back, right arm and right shoulder. hurried past the general in fours, and at the These ailments rendered him ‘entirely inca- double-quick formed right into line behind pable of earning a subsistence by manu- a fence. We were ordered to lie down while al labor’ and had done so for at least  ve volunteers tore down the fence…Then, up or six years. Timothy’s pension application on our feet, we charged. The Bloody Lane was approved in March 1868. was witness of the ef cacy of buck-and- Timothy remained in Vermont for some ball at close quarters. We cleared that and time after securing his pension, living in away beyond… Castleton. In November 1868 he sought to “When our ammunition was exhausted, have the pension back-dated to the time Caldwell’s Brigade relieved us, the compa- of his son’s death in 1862, although it is un- nies breaking into fours for the passage as if clear if he was successful. Timothy eventu- on parade… ally made the journey back to his home in “By some misunderstanding, part of the Tipperary and by 1883 was collecting his Sixty-third New York with their colors were pension from Nenagh Post Of ce. massed on our right for a few minutes, dur- Despite his ailments he lived well into his ing which our two right companies, C and 80s, eventually passing away near Nenagh F, were simply slaughtered, suffering a third in 1887 at the age of 86. His son’s service, which had ended in Maryland on America’s bloodiest day, helped to provide vital  nancial assistance for an elderly man living out his  nal years a world away, in rural Co Tip- perary.

**This spectacular history is a fore- runner of what can be expected in Damian Shield’s forthcoming book – The Forgotten Irish – which con- centrates on Irish emigrant stories, as seen though the pension  les. As Da- mian’s research shows, pension  les can provide a fantastic mine of reli- able information for those seeking to compile family genealogies Ancestor Network & Eneclann appointed to provide genealogy advisory service in the National Library of Ireland

Ancestor Network and Eneclann have been appointed by the National Library of Ireland to provide the highly popular genealogy advisory service for the period covering the 1916 Centenary Commemorations (from 15th February 2016 to 29th April 2016).

This is the 5th consecutive year this consor- lend their skills and knowledge to all vis- tium of Ireland’s two leading family history itors. The National Library’s commitment companies returns to the National Library of to family history is a timely reminder that Ireland to provide this popular service. everyone’s story matters.” The two companies have a combined team Aiden Feerick, Director of Ancestor Net- of thirty full-time professional Irish genealo- work and Project Manager of the Con- gists to provide this world class service. One sortium providing the genealogy advisory member of the genealogy advisory services service, said, “Because of the profession- team will be available along with staff of the alism and range of skills and knowledge National Library of Ireland from 15th Febru- our panel of genealogists bring to the Na- ary 2016 to 29th April 2016 Monday through tional Library of Ireland, visiting research- Friday, 9:30am to 5:00pm. These expert ers from far and wide come away with genealogists advise and assist researchers new ideas and a greater appreciation of with conducting genealogical research in the way to undertake their Irish family his- the National Library and other repositories tory studies.” which are relevant to their research. They Ciara Kerrigan, Assistant Keeper of the also assist users with online resources and National Library added, “We are delight- printing. These records include for example ed to appoint the expert genealogists of the recently digitised Irish Roman Catholic Ancestor Network and Eneclann for the parish records as well as many other pop- genealogy advisory service in time for the ular genealogical websites. The expert ge- Centenary Commemorations.” nealogists also respond to email, telephone and letter enquiries for those physically unable to visit the National Library. Fiona Fitzsimons of Eneclann said, “We’re cheered to return to the National Library in time for the Centenary Commemorations. Our genealogy team will be available to

Irish Family History Society adds a further 10 years (1995 – 2004) online access to their historic journals for members.

The Irish Family History Society Journal has additional journals in digitised form are been published annually since 1985, shortly now available for the bene t of our mem- after the Society was established. Many are bers. The  rst tranche of digitised journals now out print, particularly those from the was well received, and I thank Fiona Fitzsi- early years. The back issues of the Journal mons of Eneclann for her kind gift of dig- have been digitised by Eneclann in mem- itising the Journals in memory of the late ory of the late John Heueston, past Chair- John Heueston. The journals cover a broad man and Treasurer. The  rst tranche of 10 range of articles and will be of great inter- issues from 1985 to 1994 was made availa- est to our members” ble in late 2014. A further 10 years from 1995 to 2004 are now available in the Members’ Based in Ireland, the Irish Family History So- area on www.ifhs.ie. A further  ve years, ciety was established in 1984 and has a along with a searchable Index, will be add- worldwide membership. The Society holds ed in April. regular meetings and outings, and publishes an annual Journal as well as News Sheets Mary Beglan, Irish Family History Society’s for its members. Please visit the Society’s Chairman said “I am delighted that these website www.ifhs.ie for more information.

Courtesy, CSO statistical publication who fears to speak of easter week?

The 1916 centenary is a time for re ection, commemoration and even celebration. But most of all, it’s a time for telling stories about the past - the place we all came from.

So in this issue of Irish Lives Remembered we have focused on 1916, talked to come- dians and historians about their ancestors’ place in the Ris- ing. RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy looks at the children whose young lives were cut short on the streets of revolutionary Dublin - and we look at how Dr Edward McWeeney reading a copy of the Proclama- to trace your 1916 tion on Easter Monday, 24 April. Seeing it posted on the railings of No 86, St Stephen’s Green, McWeeney, a UCD ancestors. academic, took it to the garden at the back where he had this photograph taken by Fr Sherwin CC Brendan O’Carroll’s rebel relationship with 1916 is a personal one. During Easter Week three of the rebels that held Dublin were his uncles, Liam, heart Peadar and Jim O’Carroll, writes Fiona Fitzsimons

Funny man Brendan O’Carroll is best known murderer as Major Jocelyn Lee Hardy and for Mrs Brown’s Boys, the BAFTA and Nation- concluded that Peter O’Carroll was killed al TV award-winning comedy. For anyone because his sons were in the IRA. who’s been living on Mars for the last dec- ade, Agnes Brown is O’Carroll in drag - he In 2015, the BBC commissioned Eneclann plays her as a much-loved Dublin mammy, genealogists to research the O’Carroll surrounded by her close-knit family. family’s involvement in the Irish revolution. Here’s what we found. Famously, O’Carroll’s inspiration for Agnes Brown is his own mother, Maureen O’Car- In 1893 Brendan’s grandparents Peter roll (1913-84), who between 1954 and 1957 O’Carroll and Anne Scully were married was a Labour Party TD, representing Dublin in the Roman Catholic Pro-Cathedral on North Central. Marlborough Street in Dublin city centre. Peter O’Carroll was a victualler - a butch- In 2014, O’Carroll opened his family histo- er - living in 34 William Place and his fa- ry to further scrutiny for an episode of Who ther was Peter O’Carroll, a cattle exporter. Do You Think You Are. The episode traced Anne Scully of no occupation was living in the 1920 murder of O’Carroll’s grandfa- 31 Moore Street. She was the daughter of ther, against the backdrop of the War of James Scully, a hackney driver. Independence. Researchers named the Peter and Annie had a large family of ten children. Three children died young. There was William, born 27 Jan 1894 (known within the family as Liam); Peter James, born 9 September 1895 (known as Peadar); James Joseph, born 27 July 1897 (known as Jim); Mary Patricia, born 17 March 1899; Michael Patrick, born 17 Jan 1901; Mar- tha, born 12 Feb 1903; Annie, born 6 June 1906; Emily, born 27 July 1907; and Gerard, born 14 Jan 1909, who was the father of Brendan O’Carroll. The O’Carroll family had a strong Repub- lican tradition. In 1949 Liam O’Carroll as- serted that both his father Peter O’Carroll (1858-1920) and grandfather - also Peter O’Carroll (1826-1879) - were members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). If true, then Brendan’s great-grandfather would have been one of the very  rst Fe- nians. The IRB was a secret organisation, so we don’t have membership lists. However, by the late 1850s/early 1860s we know Brendan’s mum Maureen the O’Carroll family lived in William Place (off New Street), within walking distance of Lombard Street. As a butcher and vict- By 1916, Peter O’Carroll Snr, father of these ualler Peter O’Carroll was from the same young men, was no longer politically ac- entrepreneurial milieu as many of the early tive. However, he sourced weapons for Fenians - an umbrella term for the Fenian the Volunteers under the cover of his own Brotherhood and the IRB. The Irish Repub- hardware shop at 92 Manor Street, in Ston- lican Brotherhoodwas founded in 1858 eybatter. on St Patrick’s Day - March 17. Their  rst meeting was in a timber yard on Lombard “My father had a shop in Manor Street. Street, Dublin – a short stroll from where the These British Army fellows, when they O’Carrolls then lived. wanted a few drinks, would take anything out of the Barracks. The usual thing was that they would bring a par- cel around, and he would give them 5s in any case; it might be a pair of old boots; it might be two .45s. We had a number of shotguns too. We had some Martini Henry’s and Martini En-  elds. We did not go by the make of ammunition; so long as it went into the breech, it was all right.” (Witness Statement 314, Liam O’Carroll, Lieutenant ‘A’ Company 1st Battalion, Dublin Brigade 1916, Bureau of Military Young Brendan with his mum Maureen History) Peter O’Carroll emerges from the records Aud to Ireland, with a cargo of 20,000 ri es as a real wheeler-dealer, trading goods and more than 1 million rounds of ammu- with the soldiers from the Royal Barracks, nition, to land in Kerry in advance of  ght- situated close by. ing. Weapons were to be dispersed to the rebels across Ireland in the days before the On one occasion we had delivered  ghting began on Easter Sunday. to us a  ve-ton lorry loaded with two-gallon tins of petrol. This cost £5. We took the petrol into the house - In advance of the Rising, military and med- but asked that the lorry be removed ical supplies were also delivered to the as we had not space enough to hide O’Carroll house at 92 Manor Street, Ston- it.” eybatter.

(Witness Statement 594, Liam O’Carroll, “Early in Holy Week, a lorry load of stuff Lieutenant ‘A’ Company, 1st Battalion, was delivered to my house in Manor Dublin Brigade 1916, Bureau of Military His- Street, consisting of a large amount of tory) medical supplies and a considerable quantity of ammunition, with a small 1916 and the quantity of Mills bombs and home- Irish Revolutionary period made hand-grenades. The greater portion of this was brought down by members of the family and friends to Liam, Peadar and Jim O’Carroll came of the Father Mathew Hall during Easter age in the run-up to the 1916 Rising. We Week.” know most about Liam O’Carroll, because he made two witness statements, pre- On Easter Saturday, Eoin MacNeill - leader served in the Bureau of Military History. We of the Volunteers but not an IRB member  nd references to the two younger broth- - called off the Rebellion, placing an ad- ers - Peadar and Jim - in other people’s vertisement in the country’s most popular witness statements, and in the Military Ser- newspaper. Liam O’Carroll takes up the vice Pension records. story: The Volunteers were formed in 1913 to en- “On Sunday morning, there was sure that Home Rule for Ireland would be general confusion, … We got the granted. In November 1913, Liam O’Car- contradictory orders in the Sunday roll was at the inaugural meeting of the Independent; and nobody knew Volunteers in the Rotunda. Liam and his what to obey. I went here, there and next-brother, Peadar, were assigned to yonder to try and get some de nite ‘A’ Company, and were drilled by Robert information; and was twice in Liber- Monteith, until he was deported to Limer- ty Hall… where around 3pm on Sun- ick. (In 1916 Monteith travelled from Ger- day afternoon I got an order… to tell many with Roger Casement by submarine, the men to stand to arms for further and landed on Banna Strand, Kerry). orders.”

In 1915 a secret IRB Military Council began At 8am on Easter Monday the O’Carroll to plan a Rising. Their plan was to use the household received orders for the three Irish Volunteers as a rebel army. Clearly a re- Volunteers to parade with full equipment bellion required more weapons than could and rations in Columcille Hall in Blackhall be sourced through hardware shops, and Street before 12 noon that day. On arrival the IRB Military Council contacted the Ger- they separated into their companies: Liam man authorities, to source arms. The Ger- and Peadar in Company ‘A’, their younger man Empire sent the merchant ship The brother Jim (still only 17) in ‘D’Company. On arrival in the Hall it was clear that of ap- the hearing of the mob, gave them proximately 120 men in ‘A’ Company only orders to shoot any person attempt- 28 mobilised. Among the “no-shows” was ing to enter. I then told the mob the Of cer in Command. So Liam O’Carroll that any able-bodied men amongst assumed command of ‘A’ Company for them, who would come and assist the Rising.On Easter Monday, April 24, the me by carrying some materials for  rst day of the Rising, ‘A’ Company took me, would receive bread. A consid- up position in North Brunswick Street where erable number came to assist me.” they built a double barricade across the street. Around mid-day on Wednesday, April 26, the third day of the Rising, Liam O’Carroll “We erected a double barricade  nished his work on the barricades, and re- across the street, one on each side ported to Commandant Ned Daly. He was of the Red Cow Lane, in North Brun- instructed to report to the rebel ‘hospital’ swick Street, opposite the old Rich- – a large room in the centre of the Four mond Hospital… three or four men Courts building - to sleep. By this time, Liam were left holding the barricades, had not slept for almost three days. while the remainder … proceeded to evacuate houses on each side of Later that afternoon, Liam saw off an at- the street… We knocked the hous- tack on the Four Courts building from two es one into another, built up bags of positions; a hand-grenade attack on the material in the windows to provide east of the building, which was quickly re-  re-cover.” pelled; and a more serious attack on the west corner of the building, as a British There followed a lull in activity for the next Army  eld gun had been brought up to 48 hours. In this time the British Army as- commence shelling. sessed rebel positions and numbers, and despite sporadic outbursts of gun re, for this garrison the Rebellion became a wait- ing game. Dubliners came out to see for themselves what was happening, and to scrabble around for what food they could  nd.

On Tuesday, April 25, the second day of the Rebellion, Commandant Ned Daly sum- moned Liam O’Carroll to Father Mathew Hall. “Daly… informed me that … the only reasonable barricades were the ones …erected by my Com- pany; and instructed me to … im- prove and strengthen [all the other barricades]. .. He had no men to spare. “The  rst thing that came to my no- tice… was a mob of some hundreds of people attempting to force their way into Monks Bakery Shop, North King Street… I obtained two Vol- unteers with ri es, whom I placed inside the door of the shop and, in Major Jocelyn Lee Hardy By Wednesday, British reinforcements be- removed to Knutsford Jail.” gan to arrive in Dublin. Despite superior By Saturday, April 29, the Rising was over. numbers and weapons, it took a couple of Dublin city centre was devastated by days to reverse rebel gains.By Friday, April shelling. An estimated 466 people died in 28 - the  fth day of the Rising - there were Dublin that week. More than half of these 20,000 British soldiers deployed in Dublin City. deaths were of civilians, including 40 chil- The rebel garrisons were surrounded. That dren aged 16 years or younger. evening, with the GPO in  ames, Connol- ly and Pearse evacuated the rebel head- On May 5, the executions of rebel leaders quarters. Their intention was to try and join began in Kilmainham Jail, while another Commandant Ned Daly in the Four Courts 2,000 prisoners were sent to Britain, where garrison. Under heavy  re, they weren’t they were interned without trial. Brothers able to go any further than Moore Street. Liam and Peadar O’Carroll were held in Knutsford Jail for a month, and then trans- Liam O’Carroll takes up the story: ferred to Frongoch. “I have no clear recollection as to “With a view to keeping the prison- the events of Friday or Saturday, until ers’ minds occupied, [we organised] the surrender. I understood that ne- classes in the Irish language and … gotiations were taking place… Even- reading circles … for… Irish History. tually the order arrived to Comman- I think it could safely be said that a dant Daly to surrender. I know he was considerable number of prisoners reluctant. - who got there through accident, “I was… sent round to call in all men rather than from their activities - left from their posts and to parade them Frongoch con rmed rebels. I was re- in the courtyard for surrender. As far leased from Frongoch … about Oc- as I recollect, there were only some- tober 1916, and returned to Dublin.” thing over 20 men - but I am aware that a number… escaped through Between 1916 and 1921 the O’Carroll broth- Hammond Lane… The men were or- ers remained active, right up to the end of dered to hand their arms out through the War of Independence. Evidence shows the railings to soldiers who placed that during this time, the O’Carroll family them in a lorry. They then reassem- home at 92 Manor Street was raided two bled and were taken away [to the or three times every week. In October 1920 Green in front of the Rotunda, where the brothers’ father, Peter O’Carroll Snr, they were held overnight]. was murdered in his own home by Major “It was decided by the British Major Jocelyn Lee Hardy of the Auxiliaries, when that I… should remain overnight in he refused to give information as to where the Four Courts with the members of his sons were hiding. Cumann na mBan who were attend- In 1916 the youngest of the three  ghting ing to some wounded at the time in O’Carrolls – Jim - was 17 years old. He was the temporary hospital. The wounded out in 1916 a part of ‘D’ Company, Unit 1 were removed the following morning Battallion. His commanding of cers were in ambulances, Richard Cotter & John McBride. Jim saw “I was taken on Sunday morning active service in Jacob’s Biscuit Factory on to Richmond Barracks. We were Bishop Street in St Stephen’s Green, and brought into a large room – proba- also on Camden Street. In January 1921 Jim bly the gymnasium where the G-men emigrated to the US four months after his were spotting round and picking out father’s murder. He left carrying messages the more prominent Volunteers. Ei- for Harry Boland and the IRA headquarters ther that night or Monday night I was in New York. You can view the witness statement of 1919-22, will be released online on www. nd- Liam (William) O’Carroll (no 314) at mypast.com later this year. http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/ reels/bmh/BMH.WS0314.pdf#page=2 Courtmartial records for the 1916 leaders sen- tenced to death (WO 71) will be released this And the witness statement of Liam (Wil- year by the National Archives of Ireland. liam) O’Carroll (no 594) is at http://www.bureauofmilitaryhistory.ie/ reels/bmh/BMH.WS0594.pdf#page=1

The Military Service Pension for Peadar O’Carroll is at WMSP34REF6341PeterJamesOCarroll. pdf W34E1892PeterJamesOCarroll.pdf

The Military Service Pension File for Jim O’Carroll can be found at WMSP34REF18797JAMESJOCARROLL.pdf W34E2560JAMESJOCARROLL.pdf Thousands of court-martial records for in- Standing: Peadar, Michael, Peter (Brendan’s surgents and civilians in 1916, and from Granddad), Liam, Annie (Brendan’s granny), Jim, Martha. Sitting: Dolly and Brendan’s dad Gerard

Brendan on set of Mrs Brown’s Boys

National Library of Ireland launches Plunkett and Pearse 1916 Digital Collections

The National Library of Ireland (NLI) has this Another letter written on 29th April 1916, month made personal papers and pho- the Saturday of the surrender, from “some- tographs related to Joseph Plunkett and where in Moore Street”, poignantly con- Patrick Pearse available online. This materi- cludes with: “Darling darling child I wish we al forms part of the 1916 Digital Collections were together. Love me always as I love - unique documents related to the seven you. For the rest, all you do will please me. signatories of the Proclamation that tell the I told a few people that I wish you to have story of the momentous events of 1916. everything that belongs to me. This is my last wish so please do see to it. Love xxxxxx The Plunkett and Pearse papers are now Joe.” publicly available, free of charge, at cata- Highlights from the Pearse papers include logue.nli.ie. They join the Éamonn Ceannt letters, photographs and poetry - including collection, published in December to one letter from a neighbour complaining coincide with the launch of the National about the behaviour of the boys in St En- Library’s 2016 Programme, and the pa- da’s. Others track his move towards armed pers of Tom Clarke, James Connolly, Seán insurrection, with Pearse writing in 1914 to MacDiarmada and Thomas MacDonagh, Irish American Joseph McGarrity that the which were published in January and Feb- Volunteer movement “is sweeping through ruary. the country like a whirlwind”.

The 1916 Digital Collections are a culmina- Speaking at the announcement of the col- tion of years of intensive work by the NLI lections, Dr Sandra Collins, Director of the team, with more than 20,000 items now National Library, said: “As we approach the available online. The digitised papers in- centenary of one of the most signi cant clude diaries, postcards and photographs events in our history, all our 1916 Digital that tell the stories of the family and work- Collections are now available worldwide ing lives of each signatory, alongside with the release of the Plunkett and Pearse dramatic records of their activities during papers. The NLI team is privileged to share Easter Week 1916. their stories of love and loss, of politics and poetry, of hope and hardship. Through Highlights from the Plunkett and Pearse this digital content, a worldwide audience Digital Collections Highlights from the Joseph Plunkett papers love letters from Plunkett to Grace Gifford, whom he married just prior to his execution. In one such letter written on 22nd April 1916, just two days before the Rising, Plun- kett writes “Here is a little gun which should only be used to protect yourself. To  re it push up the small bar with the word ‘safe’ and pull the trigger - but not unless you want to shoot. Here is some money for you too, and all my love forever.” can explore the people behind the historic events of Easter 1916. The NLI will offer a series of free events and activities throughout 2016 to mark the centenary commemorations of the Easter Rising. Highlights include: Family history workshops to help visitors trace their ancestors in this period. ‘Inspiration Proclamation’: a series of public interviews with major  gures on themes of the Proclamation and their relevance for Ireland in 2016 and beyond; ‘Readings from the Rising’, a series of per- formances of literary work accompanied by music and staged throughout the NLI’s historic buildings; A public lecture series in conjunction with UCC’s new revolutionary history, ‘Atlas of the Irish Revolution’, which will examine existing and ongoing research into the revolutionary period.

Details of the NLI’s full 2016 programme of events, from exhibitions and public events to major digitisation projects, are available on the NLI’s website www.nli.ie/1916

How did 1916 affect you? Join Findmypast and Eneclann for a free day of family history and  nd out

What were your ancestors doing in April 1916? Perhaps they were in the GPO or the College of Surgeons or Stephens Green. Perhaps they tended to the sick. Perhaps they went about their business and tried to avoid the trouble. Had they gone to the Front in the hope of Home Rule? Perhaps they read about events from afar. Were they for or against?

You can  nd out this spring with experts from Findmypast and Eneclann, who’ll be coming to a library near you to help you  nd the answers. There will be talks about 1916 and  nding your roots and you can get one-to-one advice on how to trace your family. You’ll even be able to search the billions of records on Findmypast for free.

Why not come along and see what you can  nd out?

Tracing those involved in Revolutionary Ireland by Brian Donovan

Seán Hogan’s (NO. 2) Flying Column, 3rd Tipperary Brigade. Courtesy Wikipedia

What did my people do? How were they involved? What was life like for them?

e’ve all wondered about this, worried below. Those are the records kept by the Wthat a treasured family tale might turn rebels during the period and afterwards out to be untrue, sometimes fearful for what gathered by the Irish State. Secondly, the we might  nd. It was a war after all, and records of the Royal Irish Constabulary, the there is nothing pretty about that. Death, main police service in pre-partition Ireland. broken lives, terror and trauma are the stuff And lastly, the copious  les gathered by the of war. While few actually fought in 1916 or British Army while Ireland was under martial the War of Independence, and not many law in 1916, and 1919-21. more were involved as supporters, members or ancillaries of the military organisa- But to start its worth looking at some easily tions involved, the whole country felt the im- available sources to give you an overview pact of the events between 1913 and 1923. of the period, plus some of the eye-witness So how do we  nd out what happened to commentary of the time. The  rst to look at them? is the Sinn Fein Rebellion Handbook, a special edition issued by the weekly Irish Times I want to bring you on a quick overview of in 1917 documenting the events of the pre- the principal documentary sources for this vious year. While it was not sympathetic at period. It is not exhaustive, but it will guide all, it is packed with names (of rebels, sol- you through the main avenues for research, diers, police, civilians, casualties) and much as well as pointing out imminent releases of more besides. Its widely available online new resources which will make the process but can be downloaded for free at www. even easier. eneclann.ie/1916 alongside some other in- There are three principal groups of records teresting accounts of the period, namely: for this period, which will be addressed Interim Report for the American Commis- 30,000 pages. Most, but not all, of the state- sion on Conditions in Ireland 1921, plus the ments are from those who fought on the Evidences they gathered. The report is an rebel side and the document their experi- attempt by the US government to work out ences in vivid detail. All are online for free at what was happening in Ireland, and they http://www.militaryarchives.ie/ gather over 1100 pages of oral testimony in The writers provide extensive details about their Evidences. what they saw and did, as well as the names Report of the Labour Commission to Ireland of others involved. In some cases they went 1921. This is another independent account to extraordinary lengths to explain why they by representatives of the British Labour par- did what they did. ty who take a very different take on the One of my favourite witness statements is by conduct of the forces of “law and order”. Bob Kinsella from Ferns in County Wexford, Minutes of the Proceedings of the  rst Dáil, who was in the Irish Volunteers and active 1919-21. Is a historical record of the initial in 1916. He starts his statement way back in hopes and aspirations of the founders of 1830, explaining how a “tyrant landlord” in the  rst Dáil. the area by the name of Butler O’Brien was responsible for mass evictions - all of which set the scene for the violent struggles of the land war and led to the formation of the Volunteers. But a word of warning: as powerful and evocative as they are, there’s more than a little myth-making going on these statements. All interviewees worked on the understanding that they would not be released within their lifetimes. However, a much more valuable record American Commission1921 of events is contained in the Military Ser- vice Pension Archive which is slowly being Records of the rebels placed online for free at the Military Ar- Those who fought during the War of Inde- chives web site. This collection is important pendence kept a surprisingly large body of because it is so detailed. Every applicant for paper records. Most of this material is held a pension had to show evidence of military by the Military Archives in Cathal Brugha actions and/or imprisonment or the death barracks. Some of these records were gen- of a spouse or other family member in ac- erated by the IRA during the war, but many tive service. more were collected by the Bureau of Mili- But the whole application process was tary History in the 1940s and 50s. The former heavily scrutinized and demanded care- - known collectively as the Collins Papers - ful veri cation, as the recently founded detail operational matters during the War, Saorstát Éireann had limited resources and from the mundane like supplies through no intention of frittering anything away. The to executions and military engagements. forms to be completed were at times on- Unindexed, these records are not for the erous, and required supporting letters from faint-hearted, but represent an extraordi- commanding of cers or other documenta- nary survival for a clandestine force. tion. This penny-pinching means that each But more immediately fruitful are the records  le is packed full of the most amazing detail. of the Bureau of Military History, established So far they have published around 5,000 in 1947 to gather witness statements about pension applications and supporting  les 1916 and the War of Independence, as well from those engaged in 1916 and the imme- as gather original records. There are 1,773 diate aftermath. But there are over 300,000 witness statements covering more than pension and medal applications, with over MSPA-OShea- nancial record

80,000 claims of military service. So there is tional Archives which appear to be the a lot of information that might be important working papers of Dublin Castle which for you. were taken to England in 1922. This extensive collection is available on micro lm in The Military Archives houses a great deal of some university libraries. other source material too. More material is on their web site too (like the 1922 Military A portion of the material, the ‘Personalities Census, etc.), but the bulk of their archive  les’ were published on DVD by Eneclann is only available in person at their reading 10 years ago under the title Sinn Fein & Re- room. publican Suspects 1899-1921. These are suspect  les for 440 people under surveil- Police records lance and digital scans of all 19,000 pages There were two police forces in Ireland dur- are included, alongside a detailed intro- ing this period. The Dublin Metropolitan Po- duction by Dr Fearghal McGarry. lice who covered the city, and the Royal Irish Constabulary who policed the rest of the country. They were ill-equipped to deal with sudden emergence of private military bodies in Ireland from 1913, and hopelessly incapable of combating the Rising in 1916 and the subsequent War of Independence. This is not to say they didn’t try! The ‘G’ Divi- sion of the DMP and RIC Special Branch collected evidence and attempted to arrest and prosecute rebels and other dissidents, and there are extensive  les of their activities all over the country. The vast majority of these records are in Co- lonial Of ce papers (CO 904) in the UK Na- But the bulk of this collection will only be- “11-4-21. Six tons of hay, property of Mi- come easily accessible later this year when chael Lynch (of Ennistymon, Co Clare), was it is published online at www. ndmypast.ie. It maliciously destroyed by  re. This man took consists of over 140,000 pages of police re- grazing land from Mr. HV McNamara who ports, including details about gun-running, is boycotted because he refused to sell his judicial proceedings, destruction of proper- land for division amongst local people.” ty, seizures of seditious publications (includ- Ireland under Martial Law ing lea ets and newspapers), passport applications, etc. But the bulk of the collection is made up of monthly con dential reports by the Inspec- tor General and the 32 County Inspectors. Each county was expected to track and gather information on a huge range of po- tentially subversive organisations. In practice this requirement was impossible to ful l.

In 1916 and 1919-21 Ireland was placed under martial law. This meant that the army took charge of all civilian matters and RIC-Clare were given extraordinary powers to search, arrest, detain and pass judgement, up to Interestingly the  les also contain extensive and including execution. Fortunately (for surveillance of the  rst private armed group, us), this also required the usual British ob- the Ulster Volunteer Force from 1913-14. session with record-keeping. There are over But arguably the most useful information for 300 boxes of registers,  les and other pa- those trying to trace what happened to in- pers generated by the operation of martial dividuals during this period, are the copious law during this period, all of which is in the police Returns of Outrages. These are short UK National Archives as part of War Of ce summaries of local incidents of varying seri- series 35 and 141. ousness, often of intimidation, for example: For 1916 they include daily situation reports “15-4-21 Thomas Rothwell was visited in his from the outbreak of the rising on 24 April house by four men, one armed, who or- until the last execution - of James Connolly dered him to give up Ballyloughan farm (Co - on 12 May 1916. There are many  les re- Carlow). His cattle were subsequently driven lating to speci c investigations, the guilt or off the farm and a gate damaged. Small innocence of individuals detained, expens- landholders want the farm for distribution.” es for civilian witnesses, etc. There are also many  les compiled by an the soldiers found several guns, ammuni- amalgamation of police and army reports tion, detonators and other equipment. on deaths, “unarmed persons shot by re- In their report they state that one of the bels”, “persons killed or wounded by rebels”, men offered the soldiers cigarettes, but a claim from Dublin Corporation for burial on search found a fully loaded Webley & fees of civilians killed during the rebellion, Scott automatic in the same pocket as his applications for the bodies of soldiers killed cigarettes! to be returned home for burial, and many requests for compensation as a result of killing. Alongside these are many  nancial records relating to property damaged, property seized, and extraordinary requests for me- mentos (a weapon or copy of the proclamation) by senior government staff. All of these  les contain copious information on rebels, soldiers, police and civilians caught up in the event. But martial law didn’t come to an end until the truce on 11 July 1921. The vast majority of the  les in WO 35 and WO 141 relate to the post-1916 period and are very extensive. Apart from operational  les, they can be broken down into three major components. Search & Raid reports Search Report Courts martial cases (registers, case  les) Under martial law, the army had the power Once a person was arrested under mar- to search and detain without a warrant. As tial law, they could be detained indef- a consequence they carried out over 30,000 initely under the Defence of the Realm searches and raids of premises all over Ire- Act. The army used the regular prisons for land. Special forms were printed to be used a lot of this, and those prison records for by the raiding party to  le a return for each the 26-county area are online at www. event. These forms are very informative. Gen-  ndmypast.ie. erally they include two sections: ‘A’ details of the premises raided, by who, date, names of While internment like this was common occupants, and reasons for the action. This place, many of those arrested were was followed by ‘B’ Evidences uncovered. brought to trial before an army of cer in the local barracks. For example on 1 For example on the night of 10/11 Decem- November 1920 John Corcoran of Cas- ber 1920 Lieutenant A Bowman with the 1st tlecomer in County Kilkenny was given 14 South Lancashire Regiment raided 10 Holly- days hard labour for an incident recount-  eld Buildings, occupied by Thomas Farrell ed: (a bricklayer), Mrs. Farrell, and their children Kathleen, Rachael, Bridget and Mary. They “Military went to Courthouse Castlecomer had been informed by the police that Thom- to post up notices, some 20 civilians were as was an a “Sinn Feiner”. They found noth- near it. They were ordered ‘Hands up’ all ing seditious in the house, but still arrested complied except accused who rushed at Thomas, who stated he was not involved in one of the party in a ferocious manner, the 1916 Rebellion as he was working in Man- saying ‘I defy the military’, he was wound- chester at the time. ed by a shot.” By comparison another raid on 9 December Almost all court martials were recorded in 1920 at Cappagh, Inistioge, Co Kilkenny oc- registers and many had accompanying cupied by Thomas Hanrahan, farmer, and his  les. There are many thousands of these mother, four sisters, brother, and other men, records among the collection. Courts of inquiry in lieu of inquest The army was also responsible for investigat- ing all unnatural deaths, and there are thousands of  les which include witness statements and other evidences about these. Many are heart-breaking detailing the trauma in icted on the civilian population by soldiers and rebels alike. The National Archives of Ireland intends to make the court martial records of the 1916 leaders only available online as part of the centenary commemoration. This is only a very small part of the overall collection, but I’m pleased to report that all of the martial law records mentioned above are due to be released on www. ndmypast.ie on 24 April 2016. They includes over 100,000 pages scanned in colour and will be fully indexed. These records will transform the search for the answers to the question: ‘What did my people do in 1916?’ The truth is, while those who fought were small in number, the war impacted on the lives of ordinary people in many many ways. Loitering Curfew Random arrests, raids by armed soldiers in the middle of the night, martial law “justice”, intimidation under cover of rebellion, death by a stray bullet, destruction, and so on. It was a traumatic time, but we are fortunate to have records to make sense of it.

Poster 1916 Resotation oforder in Ireland regulations Clothes for a Revolution

By Jayne Shrimpton

Two sensibly-dressed, bespectacled middle-aged ladies are talking outside the University’s Earlsfort Terrace building in Dublin, while distractedly adjusting their garments, bags and newspapers in hand. But this is no ordinary meeting for they are participants in the historic treaty debates between December 1921 and January 1922.

On the left is Countess Markievicz, born 1868, the daughter of Arctic explorer and Anglo-Irish landlord, Sir Henry Gore-Booth, who during the 1879- 80 famine provided free food for his tenants in County Sligo. Her father’s example inspired her profound empathy with working people and the poor, while friendship with W B Yeats in u- enced her ideology. Becoming politically active in London during the 1890s, she joined the Na- tional Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies, and following her marriage to Polish Count Casimir Markievicz moved in Dublin literary and artistic circles, meeting Gaelic League members who were patriots and future political leaders. In 1908 Constance entered Irish politics, joining Sinn Féin, Countess Markiewicz and Dr Kathleen Lynn outside Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, during the Treaty Debates of December 1921/January 1922. and forming Fianna Éirann in 1909, a paramili- Photo courtesy Independent Archives/NLI tary organisation that instructed teenagers in the use of  rearms. In 1913 she joined James Con- nolly’s socialist Irish Citizen Army and as an ICA in the 1916 Easter Rising and afterwards impris- member participated in the 1916 Easter Rising. oned in Kilmainham Gaol alongside Countess At the 1918 general election she was elected for Markievicz. Her career centred on caring for the constituency of Dublin St Patrick’s, although the inner-city poor and, recognising the need she declined to take her seat in the British House for health provision and education for pover- of Commons. At the time of this photograph she ty-stricken mothers and children, along with oth- was serving as Minister for Labour and was the er female colleagues she established the pio-  rst Irish female Cabinet Minister. neering Saint Ultans Hospital for Infants in Dublin in 1919 - the only female-run hospital in Ireland. Standing right is Kathleen Lynn, born in 1874, her father a Bishop of the Church of Ireland. An early In keeping with their democratic principles female medical doctor, suffragette, labour ac- and pragmatic approach, both women wear tivist and Sinn Fein politician, she also belonged everyday clothing typical of the late-1910s and to the ICA, becoming their chief medical of cer early-1920s. Countess Markievicz sports an ordi- Countess Markiewicz and Dr Kathleen Lynn outside Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, during the Treaty Debates of December 1921/January 1922.

nary tailored female suit or ‘costume’ comprising cardigan coat that re ects the growing trend to- loosely-belted jacket with convenient outside wards more comfortable, less formal garments. pockets and matching calf-length skirt, acces- Knitwear, originally favoured for sports and leisure sorised with traditional gaiters and plain shoes. wear, had grown more popular during the First Her velvet hat is the popular toque and her winter World War and would become a staple of the fur stole no longer a status symbol but a regular interwar wardrobe. Her neat felt hat is a simple item now affordable for many working women. style and her laced shoes a practical, no-non- Once arrayed in satin ball-gowns and diamond sense choice. Despite their unpretentious ap- tiaras, she had long since spent her personal for- pearance, these were both extraordinary wom- tune, selling her jewels to help feed demonstrat- en who led remarkable lives at a pivotal time in ing workers. She reputedly advised: ‘Dress suitably the history of Ireland. in short skirts and strong boots, leave your jewels in the bank and buy a revolver’. Lynn is even more modestly dressed in a casual The untold story of the young lives lost during Easter 1916

Easter 1916: the children died with the  rst taste of chocolate in their mouths. Broad- caster Joe Duffy has spent three years researching the lives of children who were killed during the Rising. And he reckons it’s time well spent. It takes less than a minute to recite the names of the 40 children killed in the six day Easter Rising - but this is the  rst time in 100 years that it has been possible to do so. Hard to believe that in Dub- lin city centre as we know it now - between the North Circular and South Circular roads - from Heuston Station to the Custom House, up to 550 people lost their lives in that seminal week in our nation’s history a century ago. Even today there is still not a full and accurate list of all those who died in the histor- In 1916, in the spot where the ILAC shopping mall stands ic foundation of our State. now, there were nearly 20 narrow, teeming streets, a bus- The latest  gure is in newly tling bazaar of abattoirs, pubs, second-hand clothes shops, opened ‘Proclaiming the third-hand furniture stores, vegetable stalls, bakeries and Republic’ exhibition in the butchers. The aroma of freshly baked bread would have National Museum in Collins battled to suppress the reeking smell of rotten meat and Barracks puts the death toll stale beer . at 550 - 318 of whom were Hardly surprising also that the children of these streets civilians. claimed Dublin City as their playground - the wide open welcoming spaces would have been a liberation from the I fell into this project acci- cramped one-roomed conditions in which most of them dentally. A request to paint lived with their large families. a novelty Easter egg for the Jack and Jill children’s char- School was out that Easter Week and so too were the re- ity led to the obvious ques- bels, British soldiers and the bemused population of a dull, tion - how many children grey and poor city. Out the children poured on that glori- were injured or killed in East- ous Easter Monday morning as 300 rebels marched proud- er Week? ly from Liberty Hall, past Wynn’s Hotel and right turn into Sackville Street (though even then many people called While researching in the it O’Connell Street). As the Angelus bell pealed from the wonderful Gilbert Library on nearby Pro-Cathedral, it signalled the start of the revolu- Dublin’s Pearse Street, I met tion. The most exciting day in Dublin in a lifetime. senior librarian Hugh Com- erford who “got it” from the get go - he has an encyclo- pedic knowledge of sources. The majority of casualties were civilians. Not surprising, given that over 20,000 ri e-carrying combatants battled it out in the warren of streets, lanes and alley- ways where over 75 per cent of the population of Dublin lived at the time. As Connolly said to Pearse as they head- ed to the front door of the GPO: “Did we ever think we’d live to see this day?”.

But the sound of breaking glass, shouts, screams, roars and confusion was a mag- net to the children. By week’s end, six of them would lie dead within 500 yards of the GPO - 34 of them within a few miles .

Within two hours the iron slabs of Cleeve’s creamy toffee, as the bewildered shop- clattering sound of galloping keeper could only look on in shock. horses’ hooves on cobble- stones echoed as the British I have no doubt that some of the children shot and killed Lancers from the Linenhall that week fell with the  rst and last sweet taste of choco- Barracks in nearby Bolton late in their young mouths . Street charged headlong Nor were all the children from the tenements of Dublin. towards the GPO, followed At least 10 of the 40 who died violently were from well-off closely by barefooted waifs backgrounds. The family of William Lionel Sweny in Lincoln as they skittered, tore and Place no doubt used their valuable and rare telephone careered with their steel- (their number was Dublin 1199) to search for their missing wheeled homemade box- 14-year-old son, but to no avail. cars towards the excitement. From nearby North Cumberland Street John Kirwan went Sparks  ew from their box- missing on Easter Monday - his distraught mother Annie cars as they belted towards pleaded on the front page of the Evening Herald nearly the excitement - after all a a month later on May 20 under the heading ‘This boy is few scraps of wood, paper, lost’ for information about her 15-year-old son “last seen coal or stale bread was a on Easter Monday afternoon, 100 yards from the GPO”. daily treasure trove for pov- He had laid, unrecognisable, on a mortuary slab in Jervis erty-stricken families. Street Hospital for a month, his mother only identifying him Imagine the excitement by the lucky coin in his pocket that he had got for his Con- as amid the confusion and  rmation.  ghting came the collapse of the front window of Noblett’s sweet shop in North Earl Street - suddenly a lifetime of longing for an Easter egg, or even the taste of sweet chocolate was within reach. In they poured for the sole gorge of their lives - grab- bing bon-bons, jellies, liquo- rices and even the hammer used to break up the shiny Each child has a story, a family an unful lled life. They deserve to be remembered. They are part of our history. One of the surprising results of the project to name, re- claim and remember the children (a project I have worked on for the past three years) is being able to bring together relatives of the same child, some who had never met before . They are part of our history - and I have no doubt that the seven signatories would want these casualties of the Rising included in the of cial narrative. The project is ongoing, but it is driven by the po- etic words of songwriter Declan O’Rouke who has proclaimed in his moving song on the children. “Nor Pearse,nor Clarke, Mac- Donagh ,or the Connolly we knew, would rest were they remembered on a pedes- tal alone. Are they not the fathers of our nation proud and free? And our sister and our brothers then, the Chil- dren of ‘16.”

Broadcaster Joe Duffy is the author of the award-winning ‘Children of the Rising, the Untold story of the young lives lost during Easter 1916’ published by Hachette Ireland. Any further information on the project can be sent to Freepost P.O Box 1916 Dublin 3 or to [email protected]

Once the Rising started, the children were the ones most at risk Without doubt the most A group of children posing for a photograph Dublin, c. 1915 empathic genealogical work this year has been of the most dangerous places on earth for Joe Duffy’s tracing of children, especially the children from the tenements. the lives of the children The forty children killed in the Easter Rising killed in Dublin during died because hunger, curiosity, pity for the the Easter Rising in 1916. wounded, or simple bad luck put them in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Fiona Fitzsimons talked The book is engrossing, and shows to Joe and found a peo- wide-ranging research. Duffy has a great ples’ historian with stories empathy for the children he writes about, and is a natural story-teller with an eye for to tell the telling detail. He is especially strong on creating context and building the atmos- In Ireland we have the reputation of a na- phere in Dublin City Easter week 1916. tion of poets and writers. So the great number of books recently published on the Irish Revolution, is perhaps a natural response to how we commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising. The best-selling book on 1916 among the Irish public is Children of the Rising by broadcaster Joe Duffy. It’s a people’s history – the author’s focus is on the civilian population of Dublin, especially the children, caught between the rebels and the army in Easter Week 1916. At the start of the book, there’s a quote from the Society for Prevention of Cruelty Boys with their boxcar, ca. 1910. In 1916 Pad- to Children: “In no other city in these islands dy Fetherston’s mother gathered her wound- … have the children such freedom… such ed child, and wheeled him in his own boxcar, possession, of the streets as Dublin.” As the to the nearest hospital in Jervis St. Paddy was city became a battleground, it was one dead by the time they reached the hospital.” FF: Tell me about yourself – who is Joe Duffy. What makes you the person you are?

JD: I’m from Dublin. I was born in Mountjoy Square in 1956. Both my parents were born within 500 yards of the Liffey, in Church Street and York Street. They grew up in the centre of Dub- lin, in the old tenements. My father was born in the same tenement room that his mother - my grandmother - was born in. My mother lived at 19 different tenement addresses as a child. We moved out to Ballyfermot when I was about  ve, and that’s where I went to school. I have Children searching through the rubble of build- absolutely no relatives from outside the Pale, ings to gather  rewood, during the 1916 Rising much to my regret. My neighbours used to visit their relatives in Wicklow or Wexford. I remember Fiona: The idea for Children of the Rising is a begging my parents could we  nd any country great idea. Like all great ideas, it’s simple – you cousins, but we never did, so we never went on can explain it in one sentence, and it’s imme- holidays. diately of interest. Where did the idea come from? As a child my father would bring us in to the military parade in Dublin every Easter Sunday. I re- Joe Duffy: Children of the Rising was turned ally looked forward to it every year. down by two publishers, on the grounds there wouldn’t be enough material on the children The only year he didn’t bring us in was 1966, that died; that there was no public interest in because Nelson’s Column was blown up. This the children’s stories; and that there were al- was the trauma of my childhood, 1966 was the ready too many books on 1916 being pub- 50th anniversary of the Rising, and we expected lished. there would be even more trucks and guns than normal at the parade. Fiona: The publishers must be black and blue from kicking themselves right now [both laugh]. After school I worked for three years, and then went to university – Trinity College Dublin - and Joe Duffy: I never set out to write a book. In did a degree in Social Work. After that, I be- 2012 I was asked by the Jack & Jill Foundation came a probation of cer for  ve years in the to decorate an Easter-egg to auction for fund- north inner-city, in and around Sean McDermott raising. Street. Well, the Jack & Jill Foundation is about sick I got into RTE (the national broadcaster) on a children. I just happened to say to somebody, four-month training course. I had to give up my how many children were injured in 1916 – as in- job as a probation-of cer to do it. I began as a nocent as that. Information on civilians in 1916 producer, a reporter with Gay Byrne, and then is scant, but the children are invisible. as things moved on, I took over Liveline. I couldn’t  nd much reference to them. I start- [Joe has presented Liveline for 12 years. It’s the ed by going through the Sinn Fein Handbook. most popular talk show in Ireland, by a long it gave a list of people buried and their ages. stretch. It has an extraordinary reach, with a There were 28 names on the list that were 16 or daily listening audience of 12.6 per cent of the under. I went up to the GRO [General Register Irish population over 24]. Of ce] and called up their death certi cates. 20 were correct, and 8 were not. It started from In 2009 I did Who Do You Think You Are? and there. found a British Army link. My grandmother was born in India, her father was stationed there; my An Post [the national Irish Postal Service] got in other grannie’s brothers Tom and Kit fought in touch … They hosted an exhibition and printed WWI. The reason the lads signed up was for the a free postcard with the names and addresses money. Tom came back from the war with in- of children killed in 1916. I put out an appeal juries, but wouldn’t talk about it. He lived in a with An Post. That’s where it began basically. small  at off Dorset Street for the rest of his life, Every time I said something publicly, I’d always grieving for his brother Kit that died. I was the get one new clue, or one new person would  rst member of the family to get out to see the say to me, ‘why don’t you come up and look grave in Bienvillers, near Amiens. at this?’ Joe: I started in the GRO – calling up the civil deaths. That’s a bit of hit-and-miss. The index only has the name. It should have the age but not always [and the place where the death is registered]. There are restrictions on the number of certs you can call up, so that can be tedious as well. For every death cert that was relevant, I found many others that weren’t. The 1911 census online was absolutely brilliant. There was a eureka moment. I was going through the 1916 Newspapers, and I was getting tit-bits, and then it suddenly struck me: there’s a big tradition in Dublin of putting an In Memoriam in the paper a year after the death. I dropped all the 1916 papers and got the 1917 newspapers – the In Memoriam page for April 1917. I got 10 new names within a few hours. Charles Kavanagh shot at the top of Sackville Street; John Kirwan... I thought ‘hang on, there are enough stories in The  rst child to die in the Rising, Sean (John) this, to go to a publisher.’ Francis Foster, shot in his pram on Church St. The biggest response in terms of new clues was on Easter Monday, 1916 putting an article in the Evening Herald. It’s a In 2014 Joe organised an ecumenical service Dublin working-class newspaper. Growing up for the children of 1916. in Ballyfermot the Evening Herald was the only paper that came into the house. I remember Joe Duffy: Some relatives turned up. They calling up the news editor saying I need more wanted the stories of the children’s lives told information about these children’s families. If I and their names to be recorded somewhere. set up a photograph of me standing in front of And that’s where the idea of a book started. the GPO with a list of these children’s names, It’s an ongoing project, to get the children’s can you get a story out of it? I knew I’d get one names recorded, and their stories remem- or two clues out of it. bered. Glasnevin Trust has compiled a list Every time I got a mention of the project in the of names of civilians, but it’s a list of names, Herald, I would get a new letter or phone-call. there’s not much else. I’m still baf ed by the [He pauses to re ect] So I’m looking for children fact that there are still exhibitions opening and of the Dublin working class - and unfortunate- there’s no mention of the civilians or the chil- ly these children have no descendants, so their dren. memories had been lost over time. What’s the Fiona: You mean the Sinn Fein sponsored ex- story of the Dublin working class? hibition in the Ambassador, O’Connell Street? The relatives were great. I struck up friendships Joe: The people’s exhibition – why aren’t the with lots of them. Once I got talking to relatives, names of the people mentioned? We should I would tease answers out of them. I found peo- regard the children as part of our history. No ple know a lot more than they think they know: rebellion is without its tragedies - and there Individually, some of them had tried before to were plenty of them in the 1916 Rebellion. go up to Glasnevin with a little plaque. Ten or 15 James Connolly was a father, he had nine chil- years ago, Glasnevin wouldn’t have had the fa- dren. And we know from the historical record cility to put their names up anywhere. The most Pearse was bereft [on the accidental death by important photos in the book are the ones of shooting of Bridget McKane, aged 15 years]. I the children, they came from the families. It was am totally convinced that the leaders didn’t the  rst time they’d ever been published. want those kids to die. When they were killed, [Joe refers to one photo – it’s on page 70 of his they would have wanted them remembered. book - of Halston Street School, taken about 1912 and provided by the family of Paddy Feth- Fiona: Our readers have a particular interest erston.] in family history, and will want to know what sources you used in your research? A whole classroom was wiped out in Easter week, and they died violently. Mind you in Dublin at that time a whole class room was being wiped out every week by diseases, caused by poverty, overcrowding and bad sanitary condtions.

Fiona: The book is very good on building context and atmosphere. You describe the physical reality of life in the tenements: over-crowding, the smells of one toilet and a tap in the yard - shared with 50 people or more to a house.

Joe: I just have to ask my aunt - who’s still living - what was it like living in a tenement? The rooms were always open, there were no locks on them. Now every teenager has a bunch of keys in their pockets and a mobile phone, but in those days no-one had keys. The only locking mechanisms were bolts, to use at night-time. The  re was going 12, 13, 14 hours a day. Mon- day was washing day. It was hard work, and dangerous – an open boiling pot. The children played outside because it was healthier, but also to get out from under their parents’ feet. The streets were the playground for children from the tenements, when they weren’t in One half of a locket including a detail from school or at work. Once the Rising starts, the studio portrait of Katie Foster’s son, Sean. they’re the ones most at risk. probably got as far as Knowles’ fruit shop. His Fiona: You have an attention to detail that family believe he was shot as he was peeling an brings to life what’s happening at street lev- orange. el in 1916. On Easter Monday when a shop is looted, young children grab silk hats to play- Fiona: Childhood ended earlier in those days. act at being Charlie Chaplin; older children Many of the children you write about were al- risk life and limb to take  reworks to set off at ready working. Christopher Whelan (15) was dusk on O’Connell Street. a messenger boy for Easons; Bridget McKane (15) worked in a ‘fancy-box’ factory. Even the Joe Duffy: There’s a giddiness that takes hold at mother of 12-year-old John McNamara of York the start of the Rising. It’s a Dublin thing. Seán Street writes to the authorities: “My lad would O’Casey is so brilliant writing on it. The looting be earning by now...” was pretty basic stuff: food, a bit of chocolate. For many of the children, it was the sole gorge Joe Duffy: The younger children might only of their lives. earn 6s to 8s a week - but every penny count- Fiona: As you tell it, it’s almost inevitable that ed. Charles Darcy (15) was a draper’s assis- as the city was blockaded, food-shortages tant; Mary Redmond (16) was a bottle-washer; forced civilians out of their homes to  nd food. James Kelly (15) an apprentice at Broadstone Civilians - especially children - get caught in Railway Works; Bridget Allen (16) worked in the the cross- re. Dublin Salt Works. They were diligent, hard-working young people, making sacri ces for their Joe Duffy: Dublin has a very de ned city cen- families in poor circumstances. tre area. It’s not like London or other big cities where you don’t know where the centre Fiona: You also look at issues like how surviving is. In Easter 1916 you had people living with- family members lived on in trauma, and how in 50 yards of the main streets of the capital, their rights and dignity were trampled by rebels hemmed in all week. and the British government. One of the stories in the book is of 12-year-old Joe Duffy: There’s Joseph Murray (14) from Au- John Henery McNamara who went to Grafton gustin Street - all the evidence is that his father Street to look for food on Friday, April 28. He committed suicide a few years later. And Geor- gina Warbrook, sister of Ellen (15) from Fumbal- ly Lane. Even the newspaper reporter is horri-  ed at her death in 1927. Or Lionel Sweney [son of Sweney the chemist, mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses]. His birth, and death, was announced in the Irish Times, but his body has never been found, and no death cert has ever been issued. Lionel disap- peared off the face of the earth on Wednes- day April 26. He went up to Mount Street and it was chaos there. It’s my understanding that he died in St. Patrick Dunne’s and was taken up to Deans Grange, where he was buried among the British casualties. The British authorities wouldn’t let the family exhume their child’s body, buried among the 40 or 50 sol- Margaret, by Sarah Henrietta Purser, c. 1915. In diers. It sent his father into an early grave. To this painting, the artist depicts her cousin with this day Lionel’s death has never been regis- her prize toy elephant, a popular toy at the tered. time. John Kirwan is described on the day of his death as holding one bought as a present for Other stories include the mother of Bridie Allen his baby sister, Lily. (16), who for the rest of her life kept a strand of her daughter’s hair in a biscuit tin, and Chris- ably the  rst child that died in the  ghting; the topher Hickey (16), whose mother who died young boy Christopher Andrews, shot dead as aged 40 in 1920. he tried to get a drink of water to a wounded Tommy [British soldier]; Paddy Fetherston, who The British authorities set up Rebel (Victims) was wounded on Dominick Street and bled to Committees, to compensate families that had death in his own box-car, while it was being lost loved ones. But the people from the tene- pushed to hospital by his mother Annie. ments were treated abysmally and the com- mittee acted as if the public funds were their Once you start telling stories about the 1916 own money, and reduced money awarded. children, how and where they lived, their box- cars, how many brothers and sisters they had, In the 1930s when the new Irish government what happened them, the school-children are set up their compensations, the McKane and complete engrossed. The children of 1916 are the Fox family were badly treated, so I wonder living history. sometimes... The visits to the schools aren’t just about the In fairness, the book’s structure around themes book, it’s about the children’s own projects for came about thanks to my editor Ciara Con- the centenary. Children don’t have to make sidine. She asked if we can make connections a grand statement to be interested in history. between the different children’s stories. Chap- The kids have been picking my brains for things ters based around strong mothers who lost their I might have found that weren’t used in the children; chapters of people who were badly book. treated when they went looking for compen- Fiona: Children of the Rising is a surprisingly sation. She persuaded me to compare and heartening book, because it recognises the contrast how people lived in the city. children as real individuals. Was it dif cult to Fiona: In the last three months you’ve visited write? schools to raise children’s awareness about Joe Duffy: It was dif cult... [he pauses]. One 1916 and the Irish Revolutionary era. thing I found, one of the bene ts of this project, Joe Duffy: Visiting the schools has been really is that in most cases we don’t know who killed uplifting. In the last few months, I’ve spoken in the children. We know how they died, but we over 40 different secondary schools. I pick four don’t know what side’s bullet killed them. No or  ve stories each time, tell the children’s sto- politician or commentator can colonise these ries and show their photos. children for their own cause. The stories of the children means we focus on what happened in John Kirwan, who was sent to buy a toy ele- 1916 - just like the story of Aylan Kurdi [the Syri- phant for his baby-sister at Elverys; Sean Fos- an refugee child] makes us focus on that awful ter, killed in his pram on Church Street - prob- con ict. Children gather  rewood amid the destruction of the Rising. Photo from the Manchester Guardian

The children remain with me.

Fiona: Have you got the writing bug now, and do you plan to write more? Joe Duffy: I’d love to write more around that whole area - children and social history, that mix. I’ve done some preliminary research on Children of the Rising: the untold story of another project, it’s very early days. I’m going the young lives lost during Easter 1916’ by to take the same attitude as I did to this book – Joe Duffy is published by Hachette Books set out to  nd out something, and see if it turns Ireland, 2015 into a book.

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So Where Were Your Ancestors in 1916?

“GSI Assisting the Public in this Quest” by Michael Merrigan

Not so very long ago if you asked the question “where were your people in Easter 1916” you could, more than likely, have been brushed-off with the rhetorically sar- castic reply “in the GPO with the other 10,000, where else?”. Nowadays, such a question is treated in a remarkably different and much more respectful manner by most Irish people, irrespective of the part, if any, their ancestors actually played in the Rising. Interest in public events, talks, guided walking-tours and the emergence of new pub- stepped up to the challenge to assist and lications on the Easter Rising and its partic- advise members of the public seeking to ipants has been phenomenal throughout understand and, if possible, to connect with Ireland over the past six months or so. New Ireland’s revolutionary period and in par- online resources, television documentaries ticular, with the Easter Rising of 1916. Organ- and exhibitions have each created an un- isations such as Eneclann and FindMyPast precedented level of public accessibility to have organised special genealogy road- our own history. shows in conjunction with the Public Library Services throughout Ireland to mark the This is also re ected in a growing interest centenary of the Easter Rising. in family history research as the unfolding and wonderfully engaging narrative of Voluntary organisations are likewise heavi- the events of a century ago, quite natural- ly involved, for example, the Genealogical ly brings us all to ask the very same ques- Society of Ireland has information stands at tion – “where were our people in Easter special events marking the centenary and 1916?” Many families have some stories offers free family history research advice to of 1916 and its aftermath, however, these the public at its Archive and Research Cen- are mostly vague and possibly much al- tre in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. tered through retelling over the past century leaving many questions for the current generation. Other families have cherished items of memorabilia from the period handed down carefully and lovingly from one generation to the next. Although these items may be associated with a particular family member or ancestor, an understanding of the context and provenance of the memorabilia is frequently, at best sketchy, or simply non-existent. Local historians and genealogists throughout the country and, indeed, amongst our diaspora overseas, have very willingly With the kind assistance of the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company, the Society opened ‘An Daonchartlann’ its Archive & Research Centre at the Carlisle Pier, Dún Laoghaire, on November 8th 2010. The facility contains records from a number of sources and, in particular, it functions as a unique repository for family history research undertaken by genealogists from Ireland and from the Irish Diaspora. Already, the Society has collected over 10,000 publications, 4,500 manuscripts and an extensive microform collection. New items are received each week and An Daonchart- lann ensures that such records, many compiled by dedicated individuals over a life time of research, remain in Ireland for future generations to appreciate their genealogical heritage. Members have free access in the facility to some of the most important on-line resources for genealogy and enjoy generous discounts on various Although genealogy is generally consid- pay-for-view genealogical websites for ered a DIY pursuit, joining a family history home access. society like the Genealogical Society of Ireland and meeting others with the same Along with a very pro-active promotion passion for the research, not only concen- of genealogy and related subjects, the trated on the centenary of the Rising, can Society has long advocated the estab- be a most rewarding experience. Member- lishment of an Irish Institute of Genealog- ship is open to all with an interest in genealogy, heraldry or related subjects. The Socie- ty’s members, many with State recognised academic quali cations in genealogy or related subjects, are always on hand to offer expert advice and encouragement to new members, helping each to chart their own research pathway.

The Society was established in 1990 to pro- mote an awareness, appreciation and knowledge of Ireland’s genealogical and heraldic heritage in Ireland and amongst her diaspora. It is devoted to the promotion of the study of these subjects as open access educational leisure activities by organ- ising lectures, workshops, open meetings and group projects. The Society is a registered charity in Ireland (CHY 10672) and is funded by its members’ subscriptions and kind donations from the general public and from those with Irish ancestry overseas. ical and Heraldic Sciences incorporating a Centre for Migration and Diaspora Stud- ies. This proposal provides for a totally new approach to genealogy and heraldry in Ireland and would see An Daonchartlann linked with the academic institutions and bodies around the world specialising in genealogical, heraldic and vexillological research. The Society publishes an Annual Journal, occasional publications of memorial in- scriptions and indeed, the Society’s monthly newsletter “Ireland’s Genealogical Ga- zette” has an on-line readership of between 4,000 and 5,000 per month in addition to the lowing an election by ballot using the PR readership of the hard copy version pub- STV system) Cllr. Fintan War eld(pictured lished. In addition to the 12 Evening Meet- above), a former Mayor of South Dublin ings and 11 Morning Meetings each year, County Council with a keen interest in ge- the Society has a very pro-active ‘Outreach nealogy, to contest the Seanad Election Policy’ where it is represented at shows, fes- this month. tivals, conferences and seminars. So whether you have already started your The Society strives to best practice, excel- research or just wondering where your lence and high standards in its publications, people were in Easter 1916, why not visit activities and research and, encourages the Archive and Research Centre of Ge- such amongst its membership at home and nealogical Society of Ireland? Directions overseas. The “Principle of Public Ownership on the website below. and Right of Access” to our Irish genealogical heritage is the cornerstone of our national policies on heritage, genealogy and archival matters. The Society is preclud- ed from af liating with any organisation or group failing to endorse this fundamental principle. Over the past quarter of a century, the So- ciety has encouraged the tabling of Parlia- mentary Questions in Dáil Éireann; raising For further information on the Society see: matters on the Order of Business in Seanad www.familyhistory.ie Éireann; advocating amendments to Bills in Facebook: www.facebook.com/family- both Houses; drafted Bills for presentation history.ie to Teachtaí Dála and Seanadóirí (especial- Twitter: @GenSocIreland ly on the release of the 1926 Census of Ire- land); made numerous submissions to State agencies, government departments and local government; formulated and published detailed proposals on many heritage issues. In January 2006 the Society was registered as a Nominating Body for Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate) on the Culture and Education Panel and this year it has nominated (fol-

AN ‘IRISH’ LANDED ESTATE ON THE CANTERBURY PLAINS By Geraldene O’Reilly Irish Interest Group – New Zealand Society of Genealogists Emigrant Ship Strathallan

Arrival men. Migrants in the 1850s other property owned by his generally arrived on ships of father, where he controlled When the emigrant ship the Canterbury Association, an extensive farming opera- Strathallan arrived at Can- encouraged by its celebrat- tion and became successful terbury, New Zealand in ed appeal for colonists from as a breeder of sheep and January 1859 among the every class and section of cattle. Farming a property original 122 immigrants who English society. that consisted of 1,104 acres sailed from England and dis- grazing sheep and planting embarked at Lyttelton was Canterbury – crops Henry required labour- Daniel Buckley, a single 21 ers to work the land. year old Irish man who mi- Christchurch grated looking for a better The Canterbury Association The Canterbury Provincial life, encouraged by adver- was formed in London in Council was established in tisements placed in English 1848 in order to establish a 1853 and took over the as- newspapers for labourers in colony in New Zealand and sets of the Canterbury As- the Province of Canterbury. to transplant a cross-section sociation and became re- When Daniel  rst stepped of English life and well edu- sponsible for immigration ashore at Port Lyttelton did cated young men of good into the province. Unlike he dare to dream that his family were wanted as skilled the Canterbury Association new start in a British colony artisans and agriculturists. the Provincial government less than 20 years old, would did not set out to recruit im- provide him with a far better Henry Washbourne arrived in migrants with capital but in- standard of living than he Canterbury in 1850, his father, stead sought farm labourers, could ever envisage. H. J. Washbourne already general labours and skilled well established in the region. The heights that Dan- tradesmen who were re- Born in 1838 in Gloucester- quired for Canterbury’s ex- iel would reach could be shire, England Henry was classed as equal to men panding farm industry and bought up in a farming back- for public works. who owned property and ground and belonged to a lived on a ‘Landed Estate’ family whose members had Through the Canterbury Pro- in Ireland. been farmers for generations. vincial Immigration Scheme The type of Assisted Immi- On his arrival Henry went to Henry Washbourne applied gration advertisement Dan- work on his father’s proper- for assisted immigrants for his iel responded to built up ty of 484 acres in Riccarton, labour force. Henry stood as a positive picture of Can- outside Christchurch, and Nominator for Daniel Buck- terbury by stating all men adjusted to a new type of ley who had lived in England could aspire to owning agricultural landscape. Hen- from a very early age and their own land. Most immi- ry later moved to the Selwyn received an English school- grants owed their passage district, 25 miles south-west of ing until the age of 14, when to governments or wealthy Christchurch, to manage an- he went to work as a labour- er at the Woolwich Arsenal of housing they were ex- £240 and they opened in Kent. Henry was of similar pecting to live in. There was a store on the gold  eld. age to Daniel and working very little comfort for wom- Cartage rates, on either daily together these two en and children and Bridget bullock or horse drawn young men forged a strong took in laundry to pay for carts, were £100 per ton friendship. Daniel worked their keep. The three Buck- with wood which was sold in close contact with Henry ley brothers found labouring to the bakers, along with for eighteen months learn- work in Lyttelton where la- general food stocks being ing about stock grazing and bourers for road and drain- the main commodity cart- gaining valuable agriculture age construction were in ed. experience. high demand. Daniel and his brothers Chain Migration Wealth worked in harsh conditions running their cartage busi- The Canterbury Provincial The life of Daniel Buckley ness and being paid in gold Government’s system of and his family was about for their produce. It is worth ‘nomination of friends’ intro- to change, when in May noting that in the years duced in the 1860s allowed 1861 gold was discovered 1861-1863 just on £5million people already in the col- at Tuapeka in the Otago worth of gold was taken ony to bring out family by province 256 miles south of from the Otago gold elds. paying half their fare. It was Christchurch. To be known Daniel recorded ‘that it intended in part as a con- as Gabriel’s Gully the Tua- was not uncommon to  nd venience for large landown- peka strike was to become bags of gold stacked up in ers who wished to enlarge one of New Zealand’s rich- a back corner of the store their labour forces by ship- est gold  elds. while awaiting the gold es- ping out the relatives of their corts to transport the gold servants. It proved to be a Daniel Buckley left his em- to Dunedin.’ godsend to the poor and ployment with Henry Wash- was soon being attacked as bourne and with his three Daniel and his brothers ‘a means of introducing too brothers and two friends set by sheer determination many Irishmen’. off to Tuapeka where on 1 and hard work became August 1861 they each pur- wealthy men. They eventu- Daniel Buckley wasted no chased their Miner’s Rights ally sold their cartage stock time in nominating the re- and set about applying their at Dunedin and returned to maining members of his im- labours panning for gold. Canterbury. Timothy Buck- mediate family who were Being some of the earliest ley retained the store and living in Kent, England. In miners on the Tuapeka gold remained at the Tuapeka December 1860 his mother  eld, it was not long before gold  eld. Bridget, brothers John, Timo- the Buckley brothers had thy and Andrew along with worked their claim and ob- Andrew’s wife and three tained over £100 each. children arrived on the Ma- toaka at Port Lyttelton. Daniel realised that real wealth lay in supplying the Immigrant barracks were necessities of life to the thou-  rst built in the 1850s as tem- sands of men who weekly porary shelter for new immi- were  ocking onto the gold- grant arrivals. When Bridget  eld. Between them the Buckley and her family ar- brothers purchased a car- rived they were settled into riers turn-out consisting of these immigration barrack an old dray and two young which was hardly the type draught horses, which cost Gold elds South Island Purchase of Land 1884 recorded Daniel’s stock arrived in the colony, Dan- as 1,172 sheep and lambs. iel was extremely success- This new hard earned wealth Daniel was by now among the ful in the management of allowed Daniel Buckley to pur- larger more established land his estate. He raised four chase land in Canterbury. On holders in the area. his return to Christchurch Dan- sons and four daughters iel Buckley, aged 30 years, mar- ‘A man emerging from the la- who were well educated ried Mary Heffernan, from Co. bouring class … with one foot as gentlemen and wom- Clare, at the Catholic Church on the mound of a higher so- en in the style expected as in the city of Christchurch on cial position, is at times sorely children of a man of wealth 22 January 1867. They settled tried by the attitude and criti- and stature. at Brookside in the Selwyn dis- cism of his old friends and trict where his brother Andrew companions. They don’t think Bridget Buckley went to live Buckley had recently pur- overmuch of him if he shows a with her youngest son Dan- chased a property. very great haste to abandon iel at Kyle adapting well his old ways; and very few of Aware of the value of land, into the local and Church these men are so ambitious society until her death in in 1866 Daniel made an ap- of ascending in the social 1884. Daniel’s property was plication for a Crown Grant scale … are wholly superior to in the district of East Ashbur- the dread of being bra nd ed a world apart from the life ton on the Canterbury plains. as deserters from the ranks of she had experienced in Ire- On 4 December 1866 Dan- their old associates.’ 1 land. Born 1807 in Water- iel’s Crown Grant No. 14511 ford, Ireland the daughter for section 26396 at Brookside, Landed Gentry of Daniel Connor and Cath- Canterbury was signed off. He erine Curtin, Bridget Con- was granted 800 acres at £2 On his holding of 981 acres nor married Daniel Buckley an acre but when checking at Kyle in the Ashburton his boundaries he found that c1830 and raised her  ve County, Daniel built a large he was ¾ acre short, so he surviving children in the par- wrote to the Commissioner of six bedroom house be tting ish of Kilmeen, Co. Cork be- Lands to sort out the shortfall. his growing status in Canter- fore sailing to Kent, England Did Daniel have an Irish man’s bury. Using the skills he had c1838 where she eventually ‘feeling’ for his land that he learnt at the side of Henry farmed dairy cows. measured his boundaries? Washbourne when he  rst Investing his new found wealth into his land Daniel purchased farm implements, fenced his boundaries, now accounted for accurately, and stocked his land with sheep. Over the 4,700 estates, farms and farm- lets in Canterbury in 1879 only 1,500 attempted to run sheep. In A Return of the Freehold- ers of New Zealand October 1882 Daniel Buckley, farmer at Wakanui electorate, is recorded as owning 981 acres to the value of £3,932. Fifteen years following his original land grant purchase, Daniel had added an additional 181 acres to his land holding and stocked his run with 520 sheep. A Return of Sheep Owners at 31 May Scan of the original Land Grant in December 1866 Was it from his mother that Daniel possessed an indom- itable strength to succeed in what ever capacity he turned his hand to?

Daniel Buckley, baptised 12 May 1837 in the Catho- lic parish of Boherbue, Cork, Ireland, died at his property on 9 January 1923 and was laid to rest at the Ashburton Cemetery, with a large marble headstone erected to his memory. In the 64 years Daniel Buckly and Family he spent in Canterbury Dan- iel’s achievements rose well cultivated part of his land meet him, and dif culties will above the heights of many for market gardens. In 1882 rise up at times and men who also settled in the his property of 20 acres was cloud the way in front he Canterbury province. valued at £600 and the thought clear; - still, if he will area was known then, as it but let patience hold up Daniel Buckley’s son Daniel, is today, as Buckley’s Road. his heart, a better time (nev- born 1877, farmed at Kyle John died in 1888. er so far off as fear would until he died aged 101 years. ‘One word more, as last of make it) will come up and 120 years after Irish born Dan- all. If any one choose a set- reward him for his hard days, iel Buckley arrived in Canter- tlers life, - no matter and give him a home which bury, succession of his es- where, - never let him go, he may love there, tate at Kyle passed onto the dreaming of success to be or perchance, if he wish it, next generation of his family had for the wishing. bring him back to his native and successive generations Hardships at  rst are sure to country again.’ 2 since. Daniel’s estate is still in the hands of his descendants today. Buckley Brothers Timothy Buckley died on the Tuapeka gold  eld shortly after his brothers had returned to Christchurch.

In 1882 Andrew Buckley owned 50 acres of land to the value £800 at Brookside on the Canterbury plains. Andrew died in 1899 due to injuries suffered in a fall from his horse.

John Buckley purchased land at Linwood, on the CANTERBURY PASTORAL RUNS from A History of fringe of Christchurch city, Canterbury Vol. 2 1854-1876 where he grazed stock and A New History of Canterbury – Stevan Eldred-Grigg 2 Crusts a Settler’s Fare due South – L.J. Kennaway The Onward Project, where we aim to publish a photograph of every member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) that served overseas between 1914-1918. As always these things require lots of input from various sources. We have already published three volumes of over 12,000 photographs and are well on the way to commencing our fourth volume. With 103,000 photos to  nd it is a huge job, but with the help of many we are making pro- gress. The project is recognised by the Government WW100 of cial commemoration programme. There is a link to our website where people can send images, and it also explains a little more about the project: http://www.fairdinkumbooks.com/#!news-and-events/ c1pz If you would like further information please do not hesitate to ask The Onward Project or- ganisers Phil Beattie & Matt Pomeroy - email [email protected] There were 182 members of the NZEF who gave an address in Ireland for their Next of Kin, and who subsequently died in service. If you have an enquiry relating to an Irish born serviceman who enlisted in the NZEF 1914- 1918 please contact Geraldene O’Reilly at [email protected]

The O’Sullivans by Dr Paul MacCotter

Map of the O’Sullivan territories from Butler’s Gleanings from Irish History In the  rst of a new series exploring the origins of Irish surnames, Dr Paul MacCotter of UCC tells us of the O’Sullivan origins

’Sullivan, or Sullivan, is one of Ireland’s of Cashel, the ancient seat of the kings of most common surnames, and is histor- Munster. ically associated with Cork and Kerry, although found throughout Ireland. It is prob- The territory of the Cenél Fínghin stretched ably distinct from the very rare surname from around Cahir north-eastwards to Kil- McSullivan, and is likely to have absorbed lenaule, and their chief fortress around the another Kerry surname, O’Sullihan, which year 1100 was at Knockgraffon, where a was once common in North Kerry and now great motte survives, perhaps built by the appears to be extinct. O’Sullivans. The church of Derryna an near Killenaule is dedicated to the two Saint The  rst name Suildubáin is very rare, and Flanns, and long after the O’Sullivans had is in fact a nickname for a man whose real been driven out of their Tipperary lands by name was Eochaid, and who lived around the O’Briens they continued to venerate the middle of the 900s. He was a prince or these saints by using the  rst name Giolla aristocrat of the Eoganacht Chaisil king- na Flann, ‘devotee of the the Flanns’. Der- dom, ruling a branch called Cenél Finghín. ryna an is famous for its chalice and paten. Eoganacht Chaisil was a kingdom situated These were perhaps commissioned by early in mid-Tipperary, and centred on the Rock members of the O’Sullivan line. Eochaid bore the nickname Suildubán. This Both surnames also descend from men who is traditionally thought to mean ‘one eyed’, were of the Eoganacht Chaisil, and this but this is an error. Suildubán can mean ei- suggests that the traditional O’Sullivan gether ‘little hawk eye’ or ‘little black eye’. nealogy may be correct and that they are indeed descendants of a king of Munster An account of 1130 calls him Súildubán súl- who died in 619. chorr, ‘of the bright eye’. In this account Suildubán is portrayed as one of the leading The O’Sullivans were driven into West Cork followers of king Cellachán of Cashel in his during the early 1100s. Here the clan sepa- struggles with the Vikings during the 950s. He rated into different branches, sired by vari- is called lord of the Cenél Fínghin, and has ous sons of the chieftain, Donal Mor, as they his own personal army of 150 swordsmen at conquered new territories. Giolla Mochu- his command. Suildubán kills a leading Vi- da was ancestor to the O’Sullivan Mór and king from Scotland and has a son, Spelán, Giolla na Flann was ancestor to O’Sullivan who is decapitated in battle with the Vikings. Beara.

In the genealogies Suildubán is made to Giolla Mochuda appears to have settled in descend from Fiachrach, grandson of Fin- the area around Sneem and Dunkerron on guine, king of Munster. This Finguine died in what is called today the Iveragh (or ‘Ring of 619. Y chromosome DNA studies of surname Kerry’ Peninsula), and the castle of Dunker- patterns is a new and evolving science. It ron became his descendants chief place is interesting to note that some O’Sullivans for four centuries. bear a y-chromosome similar to that found among some MacCarthys and O’Keeffes. Giolla na Flann, meanwhile, gained a foot-

Maureen OSullivan hold on the Beara Peninsula, although it took still in rebellion against the English. a century for his descendants to become lords of the peninsula by exterminating its Only about 400 of the group were  ghting pre-existing O’Driscoll lords. Many O’Sullivan men, and the entire party were mercilessly junior branches hived off these mainlines hounded in the bleak winter snow by the over time, making O’Sullivan a very com- followers of many of the clans whose ter- mon surname in South Kerry and Beara. ritory they passed through. They were attacked several dozen times in total. This The O’Sullivan Mór lost most of their lands in was because of the effects of years of war the Cromwellian con scations of the 1650s, and rebellion and famine, and the very but retained some in uence as middlemen, real fear of what the English might do to leasing what had been their lands from those whose territory the O’Sullivans were Protestant landlords and sub-letting these to passing through if they allowed the O’Sulli- their Catholic under-tenants. van march to pass through unmolested.

The last O’Sullivan Mór chieftain lived at To- The trek took two weeks in all and a mere 35 mies near Killarney, and died in the 1750s. people  nally made it to Leitrim and safety His servant burned his huge stack of ancient with the O’Rourke chieftains. Many of the deeds and papers “for fear more of his lands locations through which the long march would fall to the English”! passed are remembered in local folklore.

The O’Sullivans of Beara built built several In Cromwell’s time the O’Sullivans held castles around the peninsula, but their main out against him in Beara again - but were one was at Dunboy, outside of Castletown. eventually forced to surrender in 1653, af- Here they lived like lords. ter which they lost most of their lands by con scation. In 1703 Philip, the chieftain, In 1531, an English ship captured a Spanish was said to be living in a cabin at the foot  shing vessel off Beara. Diarmait, the chief- of Hungry Hill. tain, who had a small navy, sailed out and captured both vessels, letting the Spanish A couple of other middlemen branches vessel go and hanging the English captain. survived in Beara into the early 1800s, but After this the chieftains allowed an English most of the O’Sullivans here were mere pirate  eet to moor in the bay in exchange tenant farmers and labourers, eking out a for rent. One of the pirate leaders was mar- living from the poor soil. ried to O’Sullivan’s sister. An English  eet sailed into Bearhaven in 1564 to capture the Not all took such a menial path, however. pirates, but a joint O’Sullivan / pirate army A famous O’Sullivan outlaw was Murty Óg numbering 600 troops scared the English off. of Eyeries in Beara. He served in the Austri- an army and fought at Fontenoy. Later he After the defeat to the English at Kinsale in joined the French army, and was said to be 1600 Donal Cam, the chieftan, returned to its ‘most handsome man’. He later fought garrison his castle, expecting more help to with Bonny Prince Charlie at Culloden in arrive from Spain, but this never came. This Scotland, in 1746, before returning to re- led to one of the most famous incidents in tirement in Eyeries. Here he carried out a Irish history - O’Sullivan Beara’s march to lucrative smuggling business (wine, brandy Leitrim. and tobacco), and acted as a recruiting agent for foreign Catholic armies, much to Faced with starvation by the besieging Eng- the chagrin of the English authorities. lish, Donal Cam had no option but to leave. On December 31, 1602, Donal with all his fol- In 1754 he was betrayed and his house sur- lowers and soldiers, numbering 1,000 people rounded by English troops. Disdaining sur- in all, many of whom were women and chil- render, he emerged guns blazing, Butch dren, set out to march the length of Ireland Cassidy-style, to a quick death. to reach Leitrim with its friendly chieftains, Dr. MacCotter obtained his MA from Univer- sity College Cork, on the subject of the An- There were many famous O’Sul- glo-Norman lineage of Carew (1994), and his PhD in 2006, on the subject of medieval livans, among them Arthur Sul- Irish spatial divisions, a subject in which he is livan, half of the famous 19th a leading authority. Dr. MacCotter has pub- century British composing duo, lished several books and journal articles on Gilbert and Sullivan. John L. Sul- Irish historical themes and studies, and has won a prestigious Government of Ireland livan was a famous Irish-Ameri- post-doctoral fellowship, as well as working can prize- ghter whose father as historical consultant and senior research was from Kerry. Maureen O’Sul- fellow for the INSTAR-funded Making Chris- tian Landscapes project in the Department livan was the Irish-American ac- of Archaeology, UCC. tress who played Jane to John- MacCotter History and Genealogy Re- ny Weismuller’s Tarzan. Anne search www.paulmaccotter.com is a re- Sullivan was the teacher of the search service offered by Dr. Paul MacCot- famous American philosopher, ter, who has pursued a dual career as a medieval historian and specialist genealo- Helen Keller. Sullivan’s parents gist. General and specialist (pre-1800) gene- had  ed the Irish famine. Final- alogical research is offered, as well as Irish ly we might note Sonya O’Sul- surname history studies and y-DNA historical livan, Ireland’s greatest living interpretation. He also lectures at university and community levels in the  elds of gene- athlete and a world and Olym- alogy and history and currently lectures on pic success as a runner. the Duhallow Certi cate in History of Family & Genealogical Methods 2012-2013 and on the Diploma in Genealogy at UCC. Radió Corca Baiscinn broadcasts a variety of programmes, including shows on debate, farming, history, genealogy, sport, music, news and radio drama. The radio station broadcasts from Monday to Friday at 1:00pm until 9:00pm and Saturday to Sun- day at 2:00pm until 6:00pm. Radio Corca Radió Corca Baiscinn Baiscinn’s goal is to provide a local resource Lorna Moloney has been the producer and creator of for information, enter- ‘The Genealogy Radio Show’ since August 2014. The tainment and training show is a unique programme based on family history and for the people of the the practice of tracing ancestral roots. Lorna’s show airs South West of Clare, live on Thursdays at 4pm, and is podcasted on the Radió by the people of the Corca Baiscinn Website each week. To date, ‘The Ge- South West of Clare. It nealogy Radio Show’ has brought a fascinating view to is a non-pro t organisa- genealogy. The programme goes out to a growing inter- tion, and run exclusive- national audience in the United States, the United King- ly by volunteers. Volun- dom, New Zealand and Australia. ‘The Genealogy Radio teers undergo training Show’ has over 100 listeners at present. courses to learn the importance of local The show explores the fascinating and ever-changing radio broadcasting, world of genealogy with the help of special guests, pro- script-writing skills, in- fessional advice and new themes each week. The show terviewing techniques is now on its fourth season. ‘The Genealogy Radio Show’ and the dangers of is broadcasted from the West Clare Community Radio defamation. Station, Kilkee on 92.5 and 94.8 FM. Lorna begins each show with the station’s mission statement, ‘Keeping you in the Loop’, capturing exactly what the local, community based radio station is all about.

The radio station broadcasts from Mon to Friday at 1:00pm until 9:00pm and Sat- urday to Sunday at 2:00pm until 6:00pm Tourism Ireland targets group travel business from Canada

Tourism Ireland, together off spent among the Irish and ASL Airlines; and a new with a delegation of 11 people –staying at histor- Air Canada rouge  ight for tourism companies from ical hotels – in your ances- 2016 will serve visitors from Canada and Ireland, re- tors’ homeland. Vancouver. cently took part in a three- The sales blitz involved an Dana Welch, Tourism Ire- city sales blitz in Cana- ‘Ireland Always in Season’ land’s Manager Canada, da – meeting with travel workshop in each city, said: “We are delighted that agents, tour operators, where the participating so many key decision-mak- group leaders and tour tourism companies had the ers from the group travel planners in the cities of To- opportunity to network with, sector in Toronto, Hamilton ronto, Hamilton and Otta- and sell to, more than 200 and Ottawa took the time wa. in uential Canadian travel to meet with our tourism professionals – telling them It was a timely visit, as the partners from Ireland and all about the many oppor- growth in numbers of visi- Canada this week, to hear tunities the island of Ireland tors arriving in Ireland to about our fantastic tourism offers for group travel busi- research their family tree offering and the many op- ness. There was also an op- has been growing rapid- portunities for group travel portunity to meet with in- ly. A quick search on the to the island of Ireland.  uential travel and lifestyle internet will reveal several “Last year was the best journalists in Toronto. tour companies that ar- year ever for Irish tourism range custom-made itin- Key messages included Ire- from Canada with visitor eraries for the purpose of land’s Ancient East, North- numbers increasing by 20 research, family history ern Ireland’s Year of Food per cent on 2014. We will and genealogy. and Drink, Dublin and Bel- be pulling out all the stops A typical trip would in- fast, as well as the Wild At- this year, to keep the mo- clude touring important lantic Way. Tourism Ireland mentum going and ensure facilities and spending was also highlighting ease that success continues.” time doing research at the of access from Canada to National Archive in Dub- the island of Ireland, which lin, but would also include is better than ever before. viewing private collections Aer Lingus and Air Canada and PRONI in Belfast - to rouge  y from Toronto to name just a few. Local his- Dublin all year round; sea- torians can help round out sonal services are operat- research tours, with time ed by Air Transat, WestJet